Health, Safety and Wellbeing Conference 2026

Paul is a Chartered Fellow of IOSH and the Managing Director of LASC Ltd, an independent consultancy specialising in Health, Safety and Wellbeing. He serves as an IOSH Board Trustee and is the Chair of the IOSH Policy & Standards Committee, helping to shape professional standards and influence national and international safety policy.

His work is characterised by a strong focus on ethical leadership, practical risk management, and the integration of wellbeing into organisational culture.

Alongside his professional commitments, Paul is a dedicated Samaritans listening volunteer and Trustee, reflecting his long-standing commitment to wellbeing and compassionate support.

Glen Ridgway is a workplace mental health and wellbeing strategist, conference speaker and co-founder of Workplace Wellbeing Academy. As the author of The Wellbeing Advantage: How caring for your people can power your business, he helps organisations turn genuine care for their people into stronger engagement, better performance and sustainable growth.

Drawing on his experience of developing and leading award-winning global workplace wellbeing programmes he now advises organisations of all sizes on how to build an environment where everyone has the potential to thrive. Because, when your people thrive your business will thrive too. In his talk Glen shares practical, evidence-based approaches for embedding wellbeing into everyday leadership and culture.

Claire’s work is shaped not only by her professional background, but by her lived experience.

Beginning her career in close protection before spending 16 years in the prison service as a specialist physical education officer and educator, Claire developed a strong foundation in supporting individuals in complex and high pressure environments. Her work focused on helping people rebuild confidence, gain qualifications and move forward into employment.

Alongside this, Claire has experienced significant personal challenges. She is a survivor of childhood abuse, domestic abuse and workplace bullying. Rather than allowing these experiences to define her, she has used them to develop a deeper understanding of how environments, leadership and culture can either harm or support individuals.

This perspective is further shaped by her experience as a parent to a son with severe ADHD and autism. Navigating this journey has given Claire first hand insight into the barriers individuals can face and the importance of creating inclusive environments that are proactive rather than reactive.

Claire now uses both her professional expertise and lived experience to support organisations in better understanding their people, creating psychologically safe workplaces and encouraging individuals to show up as their authentic selves. Her work focuses on helping leaders and teams move beyond policy and compliance, towards genuine inclusion, empathy and creating a meaningful workspace for everyone to achieve.

Patrick Ball is one of the biggest addiction motivational speakers in the UK and shares his signature presentation "Hiding Addiction In The Workplace" educating employees around alcohol problems and substance abuse in the workplace.

"Doctors Told Me I'd Be Dead By Christmas"

He has worked for some of the biggest companies in the UK and shares his experiences of how people cover up their problem, hide it from their families and peers, but most importantly the health and safety risks associated with addiction.

We often only hear about the stories where workers have lost their jobs, but Patrick drums home the importance of coming forward if you are struggling and the support your company will give if you do open up.

He shows the health and safety risks of coming into work under the influence, as well as the danger you could be putting yourself and fellow colleagues under if you cover up for someone you know could have a problem.

He shows your workers tips on how to spot signs of alcohol problems and substance abuse in the workplace and how to approach someone who may be struggling.

Danny Sculthorpe is a former England and Wigan Rugby League player, who played just over 300 professional rugby league games for Rochdale, Wigan, Castleford, Wakefield, Huddersfield, Bradford and Widnes. As a teenager Danny was the captain of England Schoolboys and signed professional terms with Leeds rugby league club when a serious knee injury led to him contracting type 1 diabetes. At the time no player with type 1 diabetes had gone on to play professional rugby.

Danny played 8 times for England, before a serious spine injury forced him into retirement, Danny suffered from depression after this, but he courageously came through the other side. He is now an advocate for the importance of looking after your mental health.

Since leaving rugby league Danny has become a speaker in mental health and dealing with stress and has spoken to audiences all over Europe including a talk to 3000 psychiatrists at the Excel arena in London. Danny brings his honesty and character to every talk that he delivers and has been incredibly successful in delivering a powerful and memorable message that audience members will take away with them.

Alex is a trailblazer in digital media and a passionate advocate for mental health and neurodiversity, making him a highly sought-after speaker. His journey through the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, combined with personal experiences of late ADHD diagnosis, alcoholism, and mental health struggles, creates an authentic and deeply relatable narrative.

Through his engaging storytelling and candid approach, Alex connects with audiences on topics ranging from digital innovation and entrepreneurship to resilience and neurodiversity. His insights into viral media, mental health, and personal growth leave a lasting impression, empowering organisations and individuals alike to embrace change, foster inclusivity, and spark impactful conversations.

What makes wellbeing stick at work?

Simply put - Psychological safety. 

Psychological Safety is the connective tissue that allows workplace wellbeing to flourish. When people feel safe to speak up, ask for help, admit mistakes and challenge each other respectfully teams don’t just cope, they develop, they grow, and they achieve more.

In this talk, Glen Ridgway shows how psychological safety underpins the real drivers of workplace wellbeing: from inclusion and workload management, personal development, relationships and leadership and everything in between.  Using the ‘Orchestra pit’ model to bring it to life you will see that when it’s safe to speak, people thrive.

Join us to learn how to create the conditions where wellbeing, performance and business success come together.

We often talk about psychological safety and encourage people to “bring their whole self to work”.  What does that really mean and is it the same for everyone?

In this honest and thought provoking session, Claire explores the reality behind psychological safety, moving beyond policy statements and into lived experience. Through her own journey, she highlights how trust is built, how it is broken, and the lasting impact workplace environments can have on individuals.

The session explores the intersection between trust, vulnerability and organisational culture, including the long-term effects of unsafe environments and what it means to manage Complex PTSD within the workplace.

This is not just a personal story.  It is a challenge to leaders and organisations to reflect on the environments they create, and to consider what psychological safety looks like in practice, not just in principle.

Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of:

• why psychological safety is not equal for everyone

• how workplace behaviours directly impact employees

• what organisations must do to move beyond policy into meaningful practice

This session will be all around the safety risks of being under the influence, teaching attendees how to spot the signs of workers who may be struggling and how to approach them. It will explore workers personalities, appearances and performance indicators which could unearth employees that are fighting secret battles.

Patrick will discuss how creating a culture of trust and openness will improve psychological safety across the workplace, through the power of our lived experience story.

Danny Sculthorpe will be describing the symptoms of anxiety and depressed mood, as well as discussing topics such as suicide prevention. While highlighting the signs of potential alcohol and drug misuse.

He will be sharing useful information to improve mental fitness and wellbeing, while showing how setting goals and measures can aid in overcoming adversity.

During his speech, Danny will be emphasising the importance of being part of a team, supporting each other and how this translates from playing rugby into the workplace. This encourages how vital it is to look out for and respond to co-workers who may be experiencing their own issues.

He will finalise his speech by adding in his own story, sharing everything he has been through both physically and mentally, and how he is still here for a reason.