Hidden Hazards Conference Highlights Silica and Asbestos Risks

The British Safety Council’s Annual Conference 2026 will examine risks that are often overlooked or underestimated but can have profound consequences for workers’ health and wellbeing.

Called ‘Hidden Hazards – From Awareness to Action’, the conference will be a free virtual event and take place over two half days on 20 and 21 October.

The programme includes panel discussions, presentations, case studies and expert sessions on critical workplace issues such as concern around exposure to respirable crystalline silica and the rise of silicosis linked to engineered stone and the long-term impacts of asbestos exposure.

Hidden Hazards

Day one will seek to explore the hidden hazards and raise awareness about them. Day two will focus on policy, leadership and organisational responses required to tackle them effectively.

The event will also include lived experience of living with the consequences of exposure to some hidden hazards, as well as best practise examples of initiatives to tackle and prevent them.

The conference will feature a keynote address by Prof. Neil Greenberg, President of the Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM), as well as expert contributions from Sarah Sleet, CEO of Asthma and Lung UK; Kevin Bampton, Chief Executive Officer of British Occupational Hygiene Society; Graham Petersen from the Trade Union Clean Air Network (TUCAN); Livi Elsmore, Senior Campaign Manager at the Healthy Air Coalition; Charles Pickles, Founder of Airtight on Asbestos Campaign; John Pares, Chair of the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM); Emily Agyeman, National Federation of Builders; and Aurélie Faugier from the Global Cooksafe Coalition, among others.

Practical Solutions

Paul Fakley, Marketing and Engagement Director at British Safety Council, who will be chairing the conference, said: “British Safety Council believes that no one should be injured or made ill through their work. Many of the most serious workplace health risks are not immediately visible, yet they have the potential to cause life-changing harm. Through our Annual Conference this year we aim to bring these hidden hazards into sharper focus and equip organisations with the knowledge, tools and practical solutions needed to protect their people.

“By bringing together leading experts, employers and practitioners at our Annual Conference, we hope to inspire action that creates safer, healthier and more sustainable workplaces for everyone.”

View the full agenda and register for a free place here.

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