In just its second year, the Queensland Safety Show and Queensland Materials Handling, together with the Queensland Safety Conference, recorded 5203 visits across the three days of the event.

The attendance figures represented a 17 per cent increase over last year's inaugural trade show, making the Queensland Safety Show the southern hemisphere's third biggest dedicated workplace safety event - behind only Melbourne's Safety In Action and The Safety Show, Sydney.

The Queensland Safety Show and Queensland Materials Handling also grew in terms of floor space and the breadth of exhibitors. Spanning everything from asbestos removal through to waste management, almost half the exhibitors at this year's event were new and the two shows occupied nearly two acres of the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre venue.

The conference and two trade shows were sponsored by the Department of Employment and Industrial Relations, Workplace Health & Safety Queensland (WHSQ) and presented by the Queensland and Northern Territory division of the Safety Institute of Australia.

The event also enjoyed the backing of important industry partners that included WorkCover Queensland, the Master Plumbers' Association of Queensland, the Electrical & Communications Association and Commerce Queensland.

Workshops run by the industry partners were among the highlights of the trade shows, while just under 300 delegates at the Queensland Safety Conference were updated with the latest safety thinking by local and international experts.

The Conference opened with addresses from director-general of the Queensland Department of Industrial Relations, Peter Henneken, discussing the implications of national harmonisation for workplace safety in Queensland.

Legislative change is also certain to provoke heated debate at The Safety Conference in Sydney. Held concurrently with The Safety Show, Sydney, and Sydney Materials Handling, the conference will focus on topics including OHS Legislation and WorkChoices.

The Safety Show Sydney and Sydney Materials Handling will see more than 350 safety suppliers present thousands of specialised safety products and services, including materials handling, guarding, vehicle safety, and automation safety products, plus training, management, first aid and workplace wellness services.

The Safety Show Sydney will run from October 24 to 26 at the Sydney Showground. For more information, phone Australian Exhibitions & Conferences on 03 9654 7773, email safety@aec.net.au or visit www.thesafetyshow.com