What is the NEBOSH General Certificate?

This blog has been updated to reflect the latest changes and modifications to the NEBOSH General Certificate. 

The NEBOSH General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety is the most trusted health and safety qualification in the world. It was updated in 2022 with the input of 3,000 industry experts, organisations, learning partners and learners to reflect the needs of today's workplace.

Over 300,000 people have taken the NEBOSH General Certificate. That makes it one of the most popular health and safety qualifications around the world (and the most requested by employers!). 

Because it's a foundation qualification, you don’t need any previous health and safety knowledge or experience before starting. That's also why people from so many different job roles are attracted to it. HR managers, health and safety officers, company directors, ex-forces workers and even public sector workers have taken the course. 

Sounds appealing, right? 

This blog aims to provide you with a textual walkthrough of the NEBOSH course.

Why is the NEBOSH General Certificate so Popular?

Health and safety affects us all. We all play a part in keeping each other safe so that we return home to our families at the end of the working day. 

Most accidents and ill-health can actually be prevented with good health and safety management. That's why it's so important for companies to have a person with the skills and understanding to be able to put those systems and processes into place. 

But not only does it keep people safe. It also helps make sure that companies are following the right regulations so they don't get caught out by a costly prosecution notice.  That's moral, legal and financial sense. 

The NEBOSH General Certificate develops the skills to do all that. And it's been developed in partnership with businesses to make sure those skills fit the modern workplace. So it's no wonder that 90% of HSE job advertisements now ask for this qualification as a minimum requirement. 

What is the NEBOSH General Certificate About?

There are two versions of the course: the NEBOSH National General Certificate and the NEBOSH International General Certificate. They both follow the same structure and have the same learning outcomes. You can read more about the differences between the two courses here. 

Elements

The course has eleven elements, each with its own learning outcomes:

• Element 1: Why we should manage workplace health and safety
• Element 2: How health and safety management systems work and what they look like
• Element 3: Managing risk – understanding people and processes
• Element 4: Health and safety monitoring and measuring
• Element 5: Physical and psychological health
• Element 6: Musculoskeletal health
• Element 7: Chemical and biological agents
• Element 8: General workplace issues
• Element 9: Work equipment
• Element 10: Fire
• Element 11: Electricity

You’ll begin by looking at different types of laws and regulations and how they apply to workers, managers and your company. If the worst should happen and someone dies from an injury at work, the consequences for the company won't just be financial and damaged reputation.

It can also mean time in prison for anyone who is seen to neglect their responsibilities. You’ll learn all about these consequences, the prosecution process and enforcement agencies as you work your way through the course.

Then you’ll learn about how a health and safety management system works. This includes everything from:

• Writing a health and safety policy
• Creating a positive safety culture
• Improving health and safety behaviour 
• Carrying out risk assessments
• Control measures and risk reduction 
• Developing safe systems of work
• Investigating, recording and reporting accidents and incidents
• Auditing management arrangements
• Monitoring, measuring and reviewing performance

For the rest of the course, you’ll develop the skills to confidently identify and control a wide range of common workplace hazards. For each topic, you’ll learn the key elements of the hazard and the harm they can cause to workers, contractors and the general public. You’ll then learn how to apply appropriate control measures to help reduce the risk of each hazard.

Explore the latest course information about pricing, learning methods, assessments and exam dates below:

NEBOSH General Certificate Exam Information

Once you know the details about the course it's time to choose a provider.
 

What are the NEBOSH General Certificate Exams Like?

The NEBOSH General Certificate has 2 assessments. These are called NG1/IG1 and NG2/IG2. To read our blog which outlines the difference between the National and International Certificate click here.

This blog post has been updated to reflect the changes in the NEBOSH General Certificate syllabus.