IWISC-1: 1st International Workshop on Incremental Safety Culture

Purpose and Character of IWISC-1 

The First International Workshop on Incremental Safety Culture (IWISC-1) marks the formal launch of an international, practice-led initiative focused on how safety, resilience, and performance are actually improved in complex socio-technical systems — incrementally, locally, and often invisibly. 

Rather than positioning itself as a conventional academic conference, IWISC-1 is deliberately designed as a small, invitation-oriented working meeting, grounded in real operational exprience and sustained dialogue. The workshop follows a simple principle: long discussions, interrupted by short presentations, rather than the reverse. 

Participation
will be limited to approximately 50 delegates, ensuring depth of engagement and shared reflection. 

Dates and Structure 

• Tuesday 23 June 2026 (evening); Informal welcome and conference dinner at venue - IDA Conference Roof Top Restaurant
• Wednesday 24 June 2026 (full day): Workshops, facilitated discussions, and panel-based reflection 

Venue 

The workshop will be hosted at IDA Conference (The Danish Society of Engineers).
IDA Conference Centre, Kalvebod Brygge 31–33, Central Copenhagen, Denmark 

The venue sits directly on Copenhagen’s harbourfront, within easy walking distance of Copenhagen Central Station and the Tivoli Gardens. It offers modern conference facilities designed for dialogue-based meetings rather than large lecture
formats. 

Copenhagen is renowned for its public transport infrastructure, including a fully automated metro system operating at high frequency. Several comfortable and affordable hotels are located nearby, including Wakeup Bernstorffsgade, Tivoli Hotel, Copenhagen Island and the Copenhagen Marriott Hotel adjacent to the venue. 

Seasonal and Cultural Context 

Participants should note that June 21 is the summer solstice, bringing exceptionally long daylight hours. On June 23, sunset is close to 22:00, creating a distinctive evening atmosphere followed by few hours of white night before sunrise at 04:26. 

June 23 is also Saint John’s Eve (Sankt Hans Aften), traditionally celebrated in Denmark with bonfires and communal gatherings. Delegates are encouraged — after the conference dinner — to experience these celebrations, including those at Tivoli Gardens, which are within walking distance of IDA. 

Hosts and Facilitators 

IWISC-1 will be hosted by Erik Hollnagel, with featured facilitation and thought leadership from:  

• Tom McDaniel 
• Nippin Anand 

Together, they bring long-standing experience in safety science, organisational learning, and applied resilience practice. 

Workshop Format (24 June) 

The day will consist of four themed workshops, each built around:  

• Short framing inputs from invited contributors 
• Facilitated group discussion panel reflection drawing on participant experience 

 The emphasis throughout will be on work-as-done, concrete examples, and the practical conditions under which incremental improvements emerge, persist, or fail. Rather than producing polished “best practice” statements, the workshops are intended to surface:  

• Tensions, trade-offs, and local adaptations 
• Mechanisms of learning that operate below formal programmes 
• Conditions that enable or inhibit incremental safety improvement 

Who Should Attend 

IWISC-1 is intended for:  

• Safety professionals and operational leaders 
• Researchers working in Safety-II, resilience engineering, and systems thinking 
• Regulators and policy specialists interested in learning-oriented approaches 
• Practitioners with concrete experience of incremental change in complex systems 

 Delegates are expected from across Europe and beyond. 

Participation will be by expression of interest, aligned with the workshop’s interactive format. 

Why Attend IWISC-1 

Participants will:  

• Engage directly with the emerging science and practice of incremental safety culture 
• Contribute to shaping an international research-practice agenda from its outset 
• Take part in sustained dialogue with peers facing similar systemic challenges 
• Help develop methods that strengthen resilience, safe performance, quality, and productivity — without resorting to simplistic control or compliance narratives 

By the time of IWISC-1, two major publications will provide a shared conceptual foundation:  

• Hollnagel, E. & Slater, D.(Eds.) Incremental Safety Practices. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
  A collected volume documenting incremental safety practices from multiple domains and countries. 
• Hollnagel, E. Decremental and Incremental Safety Cultures: Safety-I and Safety-II
  Revisited. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
  A textbook-style treatment of the scientific and theoretical foundations of incremental safety. 

Price in DKK (approximate price in Euro)

• Standard ticket including breakfast, lunch, refreshments until 15 April: 2.900 kr (€390) After 15 April: 3.500 kr (£470)
• Student ticket including breakfast, lunch, refreshments until 15 April: 745 kr (€100) After 15 April: 1.490 kr (£200) 
• Pre-conference dinner 23 June: 560 kr (€75)

Download The Incremental Safety Manifesto

Additional material is available via www.incrementalsafety.com

Organizers: IDA Risk / IDA Ingeniørforeningen and Cambrensis Ltd. in collaboration with DSKS (Dansk Selskab for Kvalitet i Sundhedssektoren) and SimTrans

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