SIA Group Appoints Bill Walker As New Director Of Safety & Risk Management

RALEIGH, NC, September 20, 2012 (Press-News.org) Don Mills, president of SIA Group (http://www.siagroup.net), a full-service insurance agency with seven offices throughout North Carolina and in Blacksburg, Va., has announced that Bill Walker has joined the agency as the director of safety and risk management where he will provide corporate support for client safety and risk management needs, as well as promote the company to potential clients. Walker has 25 years of experience in risk management and safety within a variety of general industry and construction operations, including commercial and residential construction, manufacturing, research and development, petroleum exploration and distribution, nuclear power generation, and insurance carrier risk management. Prior to SIA Group, he served as the director of safety and risk management for Southern Piping Company, headquartered in Wilson, N.C., and director of risk management for Builders Mutual Insurance Company in Raleigh.

A Certified Risk Manager (CRM), Walker has held a N.C. General Contractor's License since 1990 for the building classification. He is a Certified Professional Environmental Auditor for Health & Safety (CPEA) and has been authorized by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to teach outdoor classes in construction safety since 1997. Walker is a member of the American Society of Safety Engineers, the N.C. Advisory Council of Operational Safety and Health, the Carolinas ABC (Associated Builders & Contractors) Safety Council, the advisory board for the N.C. Statewide Safety Conference (Industrial Commission) and the Eastern Carolina Safety & Health School, where he serves as vice president. From 1991 to 2002 Walker was appointed by the governor as commissioner for the N.C. Radiation Protection Commission, and he served on an ad-hoc committee with the N.C. Department of Labor that developed a plain language guide to acceptable fall protection-related work practices for residential construction. He has served as an instructor for the NC State University Engineering Extension Service - Trenching and Excavation Competent Person Class and OSHA's 10-hour Construction Class.

Walker holds a master's degree in occupational safety from East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., graduating summa cum laude, and a bachelor's degree in environmental science from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. As part of his graduate work, Walker studied European safety management practices while attending the University of Glasgow in Scotland and conducted his graduate research thesis in the area of fall protection.

QUOTES:
"We are proud to announce Bill as the latest team member for SIA Group," said Mills. "His extensive knowledge and practical experience in risk management will make him an invaluable addition to help advise and meet the needs of our clients in this critical and important area of insurance, particularly regarding OSHA compliance and construction safety."

NEW MEDIA CONTENT:
SIA Group's blog:
http://siagroup.wordpress.com

SIA Group's Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/SIA-Group/226184827397258

DETAILS:
- A native of Burgaw, N.C., Walker resides in Wake Forest, N.C., with his wife, Debbie.

ABOUT SIA GROUP:
SIA Group is a full-service insurance agency with locations throughout North Carolina and in Blacksburg, Va. Founded in 1975, the firm offers a complete range of insurance products including risk management consultation, loss control, surety bonds programs, life insurance and employee benefit packages. SIA Group is one of North Carolina's fastest growing insurance organizations with more than 110 employees. The firm was listed as a Top 100 Privately Held Property Casualty Agency by the Insurance Journal in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010. For more information, visit http://www.siagroup.net.

Erin Smith
MMI Public Relations
(919) 233-6600
erin@mmipublicrelations.com
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