Loss Control Insurance Experts Dig In With Customers

Meet Rockwood’s Loss Control Team

Always willing to share their vast expertise, Rockwood’s loss control team embodies safety culture and provides an invaluable service.

Asian engineer with hardhat using tablet pc computer inspecting and working at construction site

December 16, 2020

Their expertise in the industries they serve is immensely valuable to both Rockwood and its policyholders, but Rockwood’s loss control unit stands out for the above-and-beyond service it provides.

“Our team has a higher social calling and a safety-first philosophy, in which preventing an injury anywhere, whether insured or not, is paramount,” says Loss Control Director Denny Weimer.

With a unique ability to assess prospective clients’ safety culture and notice exposures that underwriters may miss, they’re adept at both evaluating risks and investigating claims.

These safety specialists form close working relationships with clients and routinely provide safety training sessions, mock inspections and walk-throughs.

They also constantly monitor trends in underwriting loss control insurance and interact with the claims department. When policyholders have a claim, they speak to a team member who is dedicated to their account.

Click on the images below to read more about these loss control experts.

Rockwood

Adam Dunmire

Consultant – Safety Management

Adam

Dunmire

Consultant – Safety Management

How long have you been at Rockwood? Did you work in a different industry previously?

I have been with Rockwood for nearly 16 years. I previously worked in the mining industry and in accident investigation.

What’s the most surprising hazard you’ve encountered on the job?

The owner of a mining company driving his truck over an unguarded 7,200-volt power cable.

What’s one loss control innovation you think has been a game-changer?

The proliferation of high-visibility clothing. It used to be reserved for mining and trash haulers, but now it’s everywhere.

What’s your favorite hobby?

I am an avid fly fisherman.

Is there a safety tip you’ve had to repeat so much you could say it in your sleep?

My clients will tell you that I preach ladder safety constantly.

Why does your team rock?

We embody the word “team.” We have vast knowledge and work experience with no ego. All members of the team are willing to help at the drop of a hat.

Aimee Shober

Consultant – Safety Management

Aimee

Shober

Consultant – Safety Management

How long have you been at Rockwood? Did you work in a different industry previously?

I have been with Rockwood for 4.5 years. I worked for the mining industry before coming to Rockwood. I was a safety manager for an underground coal mine.

What’s the most surprising hazard you’ve encountered on the job?

Broken ladders being welded together for repair.

What’s an example of a risk you’ve taken in your professional or personal life?

I went from a safety manager at a coal mine to a loss control representative at an insurance company. I knew nothing about insurance at the time, but a lot about mining and safety. It was the best move I made. I love promoting safety services to our clients.

Is there a safety tip you’ve had to repeat so much you could say it in your sleep?

“Please, wear your safety glasses!”

Why does your team rock?

We are a true team! Anytime we have new ideas or need help, we come together and discuss it. We value each other’s opinions and encourage one another to excel.

Bruce Krug

CMSP

Bruce

Krug

CMSP

How long have you been at Rockwood? Did you work in a different industry previously?

I have been with Rockwood for over 30 years. I have 13 years of underground mining experience along with industrial weld shop experience.

What’s the most surprising hazard you’ve encountered on the job?

Employees at a mine site operating a continuous mining machine without a methane monitor, and the gob gases traveling over the continuous miner while it was cutting rock.

What’s an example of a risk you’ve taken in your professional or personal life?

Working pillar retreat in the coal mines and watching the roof fall, parachuting, climbing cliffs and mountain biking.

What’s one loss control innovation you think has been a game-changer?

Presenting real-life experiences in the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s (MSHA) annual retraining.

Is there a safety tip you’ve had to repeat so much you could say it in your sleep?

“What are you showing the little ones that watch you like hawks?”

David Friedline

Consultant – Safety Management

David

Friedline

Consultant – Safety Management

How long have you been at Rockwood? Did you work in a different industry previously?

I have worked for Rockwood for 21 years. I worked previously for over 30 years in the family business – feed mill and trucking.

What’s the most surprising hazard you’ve encountered on the job?

In a steel mill slag byproduct recycling business, an employee stepped into a poorly guarded area and got caught in a grinder and lost both legs. A lot of changes were then made, and it is now a relatively safe place to work.

What’s one loss control innovation you think has been a game-changer?

The innovation of Computer Numerical Control (CNC) operated machinery and robotics has made working conditions much safer and less stressful for employees.

What’s your favorite hobby?

I like to do some woodworking and plan to do a lot more in retirement.

Is there a safety tip you’ve had to repeat so much you could say it in your sleep?

The safety tip I push the most is the use of safety glasses and other eye protection. My best friend is blind, and I am very familiar with his daily routines and the life-changing conditions he has to endure.

Nathan Houck

Consultant – Safety Management

Nathan

Houck

Consultant – Safety Management

How long have you been at Rockwood? Did you work in a different industry previously?

Approximately two years. Prior to being with Rockwood, I owned and operated my own landscaping company and also worked in the oil and gas field.

What’s the most surprising hazard you’ve encountered on the job?

I witnessed an employee at a coal-bagging operation attempt to un-jam a hopper with a digging bar without having the hopper locked and tagged out.

What’s an example of a risk you’ve taken in your professional or personal life?

After graduating from college, I had a hard time finding a local safety related job. I took a risk and went into the oilfield, working very long hours away from home as an equipment operator. It wasn’t ideal, but it helped me build field experience and led me to a great job with Rockwood.

What’s your favorite hobby?

My favorite hobby is going hunting with my friends and family. I’ve hunted with my dad from a young age and have always enjoyed the great outdoors.

Is there a safety tip you’ve had to repeat so much you could say it in your sleep?

“Just because an accident hasn’t happened to you, don’t think it can’t happen.”

Pete Calabrese

Manager – Loss Control

Pete

Calabrese

Manager – Loss Control

How long have you been at Rockwood? Did you work in a different industry previously?

I’ve been at Rockwood for 19 years. I previously worked as a cementer, held safety positions with a thermoplastics manufacturer and at Timberland. I was also a government contractor at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Pittsburgh research center.

What’s an example of a risk you’ve taken in your professional or personal life?

Quitting a well-paying job to go back to college full time (while living off my bank account) to obtain a bachelor’s degree in safety sciences.

What’s one loss control innovation you think has been a game-changer?

The general trend away from companies making an employee who was injured in the facility their safety person, and toward hiring individuals with safety degrees.

Is there a safety tip you’ve had to repeat so much you could say it in your sleep?

“Be conscious of your surroundings.”

Why does your team rock?

The individuals in our group come from such a diverse background of industries, and we all are willing to share that knowledge with each other. No one in the group thinks they’re better than anyone else. I believe our group has the philosophy that the end result is greater than the individual pieces.

Rebecca Wagner

Loss Control Representative – Command

Rebecca

Wagner

Loss Control Representative – Command

How long have you been at Rockwood? Did you work in a different industry previously?

A little over two years. Previously, I worked as an environmental safety manager for Towson University, as well as in the Health, Safety and Environmental Office at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

What’s the most surprising hazard you’ve encountered on the job?

A surprising hazard many people are exposed to right now is ergonomics at their home workstations, which may affect areas such as shoulders, wrists, back and neck. I would encourage everyone to use OSHA’s, Argo’s and Rockwood’s resources to evaluate your workstation and ensure you have everything set up properly.

What’s an example of a risk you’ve taken in your professional or personal life?

Rockwood is about 15 minutes from Seven Springs Mountain Resort, which allows my family and I to ski and snow tube each winter. Rockwood is also located about 30 minutes from Ohiopyle State Park and the Youghiogheny River, where we’ve gone whitewater rafting.

Why does your team rock?

Everyone has technical expertise, education and real-world experiences that they share, which is a great asset to our clients. Our team is very service-oriented, and we build great relationships with our clients, which promotes a better safety culture and leads to more attention to hazards and fewer safety incidents.

Stacey Heiple

Assistant – UW Support

Stacey

Heiple

Assistant – UW Support

How long have you been at Rockwood? Did you work in a different industry previously?

I have been at Rockwood for over 24 years. Previously our family worked in the agriculture industry. We owned and operated a feed mill, providing farmers and pet owners with food for their animals, and seeds and fertilizer for their crops and gardens.

What’s an example of a risk you’ve taken in your professional or personal life?

Left the agriculture business to take a job in insurance, in which I had no experience.

What’s your favorite hobby?

Serving my community by being a member of and EMT for the local fire department.

Why does your team rock?

Such a good group to work with. All have different backgrounds and experience in different industries that they share with each other. Real teamwork!

Denny Weimer

Loss Control Director

Denny

Weimer

Loss Control Director

How long have you been at Rockwood? Did you work in a different industry previously?

About 40 years. I’ve also worked in construction and auto body repair.

What’s the most surprising hazard you’ve encountered on the job?

One plant that manufactured extremely high-pressure equipment for the nuclear power industry pressure-tested the equipment on the shop floor while everyone was working around it.

What’s one loss control innovation you think has been a game-changer?

Hearing protection that suppresses loud noises but still enables the wearer to hear normal conversation.

What’s your favorite hobby?

Hunting and target shooting.

Why does your team rock?

Our varied backgrounds, combined with ages ranging from the early 20s to the mid-60s, allows us to meld the experience with the technology. We are proof that you can teach old dogs new tricks.

Read more in: Life at Argo, Meet the Team