The SIA was founded by a small group of students who enrolled in and attended the first Industrial Safety and Accident Prevention course conducted by Melbourne Technical College in 1948. Graduates from this course were awarded a Certificate of Industrial Safety and Accident Prevention. After completing the course, the group of students collaborated to form the nucleus of the Safety Engineering Society of Australia, and held regular monthly meetings. The founding members of what was then known as the Safety Engineering Society of Australia included Eric Warburton (the first President), Chris Allan (the first Secretary), Eugene Falk (Secretary), Harold Greenwood-Thomas, Bill Reid, Bill Jenkins, Peter Cathcart, Bill Carroll and Cecil Holmes.
