When a major incident occurs, where does physical reverse-engineering end and systemic human performance begin?
The Forensic Engineering Society Australia (FESA), the Australian Institute of Health & Safety (AIHS) College of Fellows, and leading Ergonomics & Human Factors Practitioners invite you to a joint interactive afternoon symposium at RMIT University.
Event Overview
Date: Thursday, 19th November 2026
Symposium: 2:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Networking Dinner: 6:45 PM onwards (Venue nearby RMIT City Campus, TBD)
Location: RMIT University, City Campus, Melbourne
Why You Should Attend
No single investigation framework holds all the answers for complex, high-consequence incidents. This symposium brings together specialists from forensic engineering, safety leadership, and human factors to evaluate and contrast different investigation methodologies—specifically comparing traditional engineering and failure analysis models with modern paradigms like Human & Organizational Performance (HOP) and Learning Teams.
Rather than passive lectures, this event is designed around fast-paced case studies, peer table discussions, and a multi-disciplinary panel debate.
Program Highlights
Session 1: Physical Failure & Engineering Analysis Models (2:15 PM – 3:30 PM) Short case studies on forensic reverse-engineering, Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), FMEA, and Bowtie/Barrier models.
Session 2: Human Performance, HOP & Modern Safety Paradigms (3:30 PM – 4:45 PM) Exploring Work-as-Done vs. Work-as-Imagined, Learning Teams, HFACS, and task/interface ergonomics.
Session 3: Comparative Panel & Cross-Disciplinary Engagement (5:00 PM – 6:15 PM) A structured debate pitting engineering precision against systemic human performance context to identify the strengths, limitations, and blind spots of each approach.
Registration & Dinner
Symposium Ticket: Free for financial members of FESA, AIHS (and CoF), and recognized Ergonomics/HF associations. Non-members: $20.
Note: Places are strictly limited to ensure flat-floor group collaboration.
Post-Symposium Dinner: Join us from 6:45 PM for an informal dinner nearby to continue the cross-disciplinary discussions. (Dinner cost self-funded / pay-on-site; registration required for booking numbers).
We look forward to seeing you at RMIT for an afternoon of lively debate and cross-disciplinary learning.
