Health, Safety & Environment Division

Hello HSE Division,

With the 2026 National Congress just around the corner, it's important to remind those interested in sharing or presenting on HSE during the conference, to submit an abstract.

Our HSE theme this Congress is Being Curious about HSE.  We would like to focus on sense making in the Health, Safety and Environment Landscape, as we explore Enabling Innovation in a Carbon-Constrained World.

Often innovation is found at the crossroads of various disciplines, where ideas and opportunities exist for something new.  However, much like map makers of old, should we as safety professionals, flag a cautionary note - "Here be dragons"?

What should we know about HSE as we approach interdisciplinary innovation.  Are there lessons to be learnt from past critical incidents?  Are Regulators and Emergency Services  equipped to play their part? Is Industry prepared to negotiate HSE in these areas? Does Academia have the answers?

I am sure we all have something important to share, so please consider how your work and knowledge and input can help us move forward safely.

Cheers

Scott Buckingham

Chair HSE Division

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Scott Buckingham
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Hi Scott, 

Here be Dragons is a reality!  Innovation can be held back, and it can occur across all parts of the development pathway of a new idea.  There are roadblocks that come out of nowhere that can slow progress or eventually lead to moving the idea to another country because it was made easier.   When the regulators are unsure or the idea doesn't fit within existing legislation, then this can be a pretty big problem.  Changes to legislation happen either too slow or too fast (strangely enough) and that becomes a problem for industry and the regulator.  

So, it's a great question.  And worthy of a discussion because how would we change regulations to make it safe for companies to operate effectively to bring those ideas to market, but not repeat some of the mistakes of old, making the world not as safe as it needs to be.  

I'm keen to hear some stories and maybe some solutions that perhaps the RACI can leverage off into the future and help both sides to get that idea to market. 

Cheers Brian. 

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Brian Krieger
Chief Advisor Major Amusement Park Licensing
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Hi Scott - the problem is that regulators either have a knee-jerk reaction, usually in response to an incident, or move at a glacial pace. Standards are at least 4-5 years behind the legislation, and by the time the standard is released, it is so out of date it is not funny. 

Then this is the case of nanotechnology, which was going to be the next big HSE issue since asbestos, and then it has basically disappeared into the background. 

I think there might be an abstract in that  - I will think about it. 

Cheers

Lisa 

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LisaStevens
Principal OHS Consultant
Lisa J Stevens And Associates
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Original Message:
Sent: 23-02-2026 14:08
From: Brian Krieger
Subject: Call for HSE Abstracts - 2026 National Conference

Hi Scott, 

Here be Dragons is a reality!  Innovation can be held back, and it can occur across all parts of the development pathway of a new idea.  There are roadblocks that come out of nowhere that can slow progress or eventually lead to moving the idea to another country because it was made easier.   When the regulators are unsure or the idea doesn't fit within existing legislation, then this can be a pretty big problem.  Changes to legislation happen either too slow or too fast (strangely enough) and that becomes a problem for industry and the regulator.  

So, it's a great question.  And worthy of a discussion because how would we change regulations to make it safe for companies to operate effectively to bring those ideas to market, but not repeat some of the mistakes of old, making the world not as safe as it needs to be.  

I'm keen to hear some stories and maybe some solutions that perhaps the RACI can leverage off into the future and help both sides to get that idea to market. 

Cheers Brian. 

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Brian Krieger
Chief Advisor Major Amusement Park Licensing
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