NEBOSH National General Certificate Syllabus

The NEBOSH National General Certificate provides a broad understanding of key health and safety issues. It covers risk management, UK HSE legislation, and how to identify and control common workplace hazards. 

The course is split into 2 units: NG1 and NG2. NG1 is assessed with an open book online exam while NG2 is a practical work-based assignment. 

Working outside the UK? Take a look at the NEBOSH International General Certificate course which covers international guidance set by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). 

Learning outcomes

By completing the NEBOSH General Certificate, you'll be able to:

• Justify health and safety improvements using moral, financial and legal arguments
• Advise on the main duties for health and safety in the workplace
• Help your organisation manage contractors
• Work within a health and safety management system, and recognise what effective general policy, organisation, and arrangements should look like
• Positively influence health and safety culture and behaviour to improve performance
• Do a general risk assessment of your workplace 
• Recognise workplace changes that have significant health and safety impacts and how to minimise them
• Develop basic safe systems of work and know when to use permit-to-work systems for special risks
• Take part in incident investigations
• Check the effectiveness of your management system through monitoring, audits and reviews

Full course syllabus

Unit NG1: Management of Health and Safety

Element 1: Why we should manage workplace health and safety

• 1.1 Discuss the moral, financial and legal reasons for managing health and safety in the workplace
• 1.2 Explain how the law works and the consequences of non-compliance
• 1.3 Summarise the main health and safety duties of employers and workers in HSWA 1974 and MHSWR 1999
• 1.4 Explain how contractors should be selected, monitored and managed

Element 2: How health and safety management systems work and what they look like

• 2.1 Give an overview of the elements of a health and safety management system and the benefits of having a formal/certified system
• 2.2 Discuss the main ingredients of health and safety management systems that make it effective - general policy, organisation, arrangements

Element 3: Managing risk - understanding people and processes

• 3.1 Describe the concept of health and safety culture and how it influences performance
• 3.2 Summarise how health and safety culture at work can be improved
• 3.3 Summarise the human factors which positively or negatively influence behaviour at work in a way that can affect health and safety
• 3.4 Explain the principles of the risk assessment process
• 3.5 Discuss typical workplace changes that have significant health and safety impacts and ways to minimise those impacts
• 3.6 Describe what to consider when developing and implementing a safe system of work for general activities
• 3.7 Explain the role, function and operation of a permit-to-work system
• 3.8 Discuss typical emergency procedures (including training and testing) and how to decide what level of first aid is needed in the workplace

Element 4: Health and safety monitoring and measuring

• 4.1 Discuss common methods and indicators used to monitor the effectiveness of management systems
• 4.2 Explain why and how incidents should be investigated, recorded and reported
• 4.3 Explain what an audit is and why and how it is used to evaluate a management system
• 4.4 Explain why and how regular reviews of health and safety performance are needed

NG2: Risk Assessment

For this unit, you must produce a risk assessment of a workplace which considers a wide range of identified hazards (drawn from elements 5-11) and meets best practice standards.

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

Course assessment

• An online open-book assessment
• A 3-hour practical risk assessment carried out in the workplace 

You need to pass both assessments to achieve your NEBOSH General Certificate.  Further information about open book exams as well as frequently asked questions, is available in the Learner Guide.

Further information on the NEBOSH Certificate

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