The IOSH Keynote Theatre at The Health & Safety Event
The IOSH Keynote Theatre returns as the main stage at The Health & Safety Event, bringing together some of the industry’s most influential voices to share the latest insights, regulatory updates, and practical guidance shaping the future of occupational safety and health.
Across three days, the programme will explore everything from national policy and workplace culture to emerging risks, human factors, and the evolving needs of the modern workforce - all designed to support OSH professionals in driving real, lasting change.
A huge thank you to IOSH for their continued support in curating such a forward-thinking and impactful theatre. We’re excited to see these important conversations come to life on stage. Make sure to join us live and be part of the discussion!
Theatre Chairs:
⭐Richard Bate - IOSH President. Lead International Consultant - Health Safety Emirates FZE/StrataOS
⭐Kelly Nicoll - IOSH Immediate Past President. Head of Environment, Health, and Safety - Doncaster Culture and Leisure Trust.
⭐Shaun Lundy - IOSH President Elect and Chair of the IOSH Construction Committee. Chief Strategy Officer at Tetra, Board Director at The Property Institute (TPI)
⭐Gary Latta - Vice President IOSH. Health and Safety Manager (Properties) - Morrisons. President - London School of Management & Technology.
⭐Macauley Quinn - Vice President IOSH. HSE Manager - England Rugby.
DAY ONE SESSION SPOTLIGHT
10:45 | Keynote Address: The Evolving OSH Profession
As we approach a transformative era shaped by technology and climate change, this session will explore the risks associated with the future of work. Hear from experts in the field of technology advancements, climate change and mental health, focusing on strategies for resilience, equity, and mental wellbeing. Join us to see how the OSH profession is evolving to develop a safe future of work.
🎤Richard Bate, IOSH President - Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH)
11:30 | Keep Britain Working - What It means for OSH professionals today
This session examines what the Government’s Keep Britain Working review means for OSH professionals and how national policy can be translated into practical workplace action. Panellists will explore prevention‑first approaches and early intervention, highlighting how employers and OSH practitioners can better support people to stay in work, return to work, and thrive.
🎤 James Murphy, Director of Marketing, Policy & Insight - IOSH
🎤 Kelly Nicoll, IOSH Immediate Past President - IOSH
🎤 Chris Newson, Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) Director - Make UK
🎤 Jo Yarker, Managing Partner - Affinity Health at Work, Birkbeck, University of London
12:30 | The use of evidence in OSH
Strong evidence can drive better safety decisions. However, the methods used to produce, report, and apply evidence in the field of OSH are often fragmented. This session brings together insights from Lloyd’s Register Foundation and IOSH to examine the current OSH evidence ecosystem. The panel will look at the value of existing reporting frameworks, and how practitioners use evidence to inform real-world safety decisions. Join this conversation on how stronger collaboration between research, funders and the profession can build a more effective evidence base for safer work.
🎤 Chris Davis, Thought Leadership Manager - IOSH
🎤 Shaun Lundy, Vice-President - IOSH
🎤 Nancy Hey OBE, Director of Evidence and Insight - Lloyds Register Foundation
13:30 | OSH Principles in Action
What do the principles of good OSH actually look like in practice? In this session, OSH practitioners bring IOSH's guiding principles to life. Through real workplace examples, they show how these principles can shape decisions, influence leadership and help people go home from work safe and well.
🎤 Duncan Spencer, Head of Advice and Practice - Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH)
🎤 Richard Bate, IOSH President - Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH)
🎤 Michelle Stonley, Vice-President - IOSH
🎤 Shaun Lundy, Vice-President - IOSH
14:15 | Culture As the Safety System: How Behaviour, Ritual and Habit Build Organisations Where People Come Home Safe
Most organisations treat safety as a compliance problem - the best ones treat it as a culture problem, and in this session Bruce Daisley shows exactly why that distinction matters, drawing on case studies from Alcoa, Network Rail and beyond to reveal how the right behaviours, rituals and habits build safety cultures that actually stick. You'll leave with a practical framework for diagnosing where your culture is failing, four compelling case studies to take back to your organisation, and five concrete takeaways for OSH professionals navigating everything from small SMEs to large corporations - including what hybrid working means for the future of human connection at work.
🎤 Bruce Daisley, Author and future of work thought leader - Eat Sleep Work Repeat
15:15 | Technical Application - Where Theory Meets Reality
Join members of the IOSH Future Leaders Community Steering Group for an interactive panel discussion exploring how young HSE professionals turn theory into practice. Our speakers will share real-life experiences of navigating complex situations, balancing organisational pressures with safe outcomes, and building the confidence and influence needed to grow in Health & Safety careers.
🎤 Danielle Thorburn, Specialist Health and Safety Consultant
🎤 Mike Gibson TechIOSH, National Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Officer
DAY TWO SESSION SPOTLIGHT
11:00 | Sexual Harassment and Abuse - A Prevention Focus
This talk will examine violence in organisations at its most extreme - sexual harassment and abuse. Drawing on a number of studies, it will adopt a prevention-focused approach to outline how organisations need to think differently about these events, their targets, perpetrators, and those who witness them. Prof. Rosalind will outline the social, cultural and structural factors that can underpin these events. She will illustrate her talk with images from three prevention-focused animation resources that you can then access.
🎤 Rosalind Searle, Deputy Director for Research and Knowledge Exchange, and Associate Director for Impact, Chair in HRM and Organisational Psychology - Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow
12:00 | Trauma-Informed Practice in Action
Exploring the connection between trauma, shame and violence and practical skills that will help OSH professionals be trauma-informed in handling sensitive situations and interactions.
🎤 Bill Fox, Founder & Executive Chairman - Maybo
🎤 Rod Farmworth, CEO - Trauma Action Group
🎤 Hannah Clarke, Director - Trauma Action Group
13:00 | Gen Z at Work: Rethinking Risk, Supervision and Safety for a New Generation
Gen Z is now firmly embedded in the workforce, yet many health and safety frameworks were designed for a very different generation of worker. Drawing on insights from the Youth Voice Census, this session explores how young people experience work, supervision, risk, wellbeing, and psychological safety - and what this means for occupational safety and health professionals. From communication styles and confidence levels to mental health vulnerability and early exposure to insecure work, Gen Z brings new strengths and new risk considerations. The session will examine where traditional safety approaches may be misaligned, and how organisations can adapt supervision, training, and risk education to better protect and empower young workers. The central message is clear: protecting young workers requires more than compliance - it requires understanding how they experience work.
🎤 Lauren Mistry, Deputy CEO - Youth Employment UK
13:40 | From Curious to Career: Mentoring in Health and Safety
Step inside the world of health & safety with a mentor-mentee duo from FLSG. Hear how mentoring shaped their careers, the challenges they overcame, and the lessons they learned along the way. Discover how IOSH mentoring and membership can guide and accelerate your own professional journey.
🎤 Gemma Emery, Company Director & Senior HSEQ Consultant - The Safety Consultants Company
🎤 Barbara Derecka, HSEQ Manager - Imperial Brands
🎤 Louise Griffin, Communities Engagement and Volunteering Manager - IOSH
14:30 | Safety, Sustainability and the Supply Chain: Why the Future of ESG Runs Through OSH
This keynote explores how OSH practitioners can expand their influence beyond traditional compliance to support sustainability leadership. By integrating environmental risk management, supply chain oversight and governance frameworks, OSH professionals can play a critical role in delivering sustainable outcomes. Using examples from real compliance and auditing systems, Tamma Carel will demonstrate how practical tools, better reporting cultures and stronger accountability can transform sustainability from aspiration into action.
🎤 Tamma Carel, Co-Founder & Sustainability Director - iCOR Systems Ltd
15:25 | CDM Made Simple
The Construction (Design & Management) Regulations (CDM) are often misunderstood, especially regarding the application of the Regulations. In this interactive technical workshop, Craig will probe your understanding, tackle some of the myths and provide practical advice on not just how to comply, but also how to get the most out of the Regulations.
🎤 Craig Foyle, Director - Foyle Safety
DAY THREE SESSION SPOTLIGHT
10:45 | Celebrating Success: The IOSH Achievement Brunch
Shining a spotlight on IOSH volunteers, members and students as we take a moment to celebrate their successes and achievements. Join us for a chance to network over coffee and pastries and connect with the OSH community.
🎤 Gary Latta, Vice-President - IOSH
🎤 Macauley Quinn, Vice-President - IOSH
12:00 | Ask the Auditor: Making Sense of ISO 45003
ISO 45003 expands occupational health and safety beyond physical hazards to include work-related stress and psychosocial risk. This session provides a practical introduction to the standard, how it supports psychological health at work, and how it integrates with ISO 45001. An experienced auditor will outline common misunderstandings, early implementation challenges, and what organisations can focus on first - before opening the floor to your questions.
🎤 Joanne Price, Managing Director - MMP Business Solutions
12:45 | The Role of Human Factors to Improve Safety Performance
Human factors focus on understanding how people interact with systems, environments, and processes in the workplace. By considering human capabilities, limitations, behaviours, and decision-making, organisations can design safer procedures, equipment, and work environments. Integrating human factors into safety management helps reduce human error, improve communication and teamwork, and strengthen situational awareness. Ultimately, applying human factors principles leads to more reliable operations, fewer incidents, and a stronger safety culture across the organisation.
🎤 Shelley Stiles, Partner Director - Gateway Consultants (HSW)
13:30 | Behind the Scenes: Safety Careers in the Spotlight
Join us for an unfiltered look at inspiring OSH leaders who have defined their own career paths. Hear about their real-world challenges, breakthrough moments, and career highlights, and learn the strategies for safety career growth.
🎤 Ruth Denyer, Senior Director, Production Health and Safety - Netflix
🎤 Crystal Danbury, Director of Safety, Insurance & Occupational Wellbeing, Corporate Services - Sainsbury’s Group
🎤 Gary Latta, Vice-President - IOSH
