NEBOSH National Diploma Syllabus

The NEBOSH National Diploma builds directly upon the knowledge and skills gained from the NEBOSH General Certificate and provides the expertise required to become a health and safety practitioner and a recognised leader in the field. 

The course reflects the most recent NEBOSH syllabus update (November 2015) adapting regulatory changes, research and the latest thinking of health & safety in the modern workplace. 

If you're looking to study this course outside of the UK then we recommend taking a look at the NEBOSH International Diploma course on our international courses website.

Contact us about the NEBOSH Diploma

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the NEBOSH National Diploma learners will have the skills and knowledge to operate as competent health and safety practitioners, with the ability to;  

• Review health and safety arrangements within a workplace and produce justified recommendation to reduce risk and improve health and safety performance.
• Implement an effective health and safety management strategy at an operational level.
• Recognise and control major aspects of health and safety within a workplace.
• Reduce costs by preventing accidents and ill-health of employees and thus improving productivity.

Course syllabus

Unit A: Managing Health and Safety

This unit provides an in-depth understanding of the key areas for managing health and safety, covering moral, economic and societal drivers, health & safety law and health & safety management systems. 

• A1 - Principles of health & safety management
• A2 - Principles of health & safety law
• A3 - Criminal Law
• A4 - Civil Law
• A5 - Loss causation and incident investigation
• A6 - Measuring and reviewing health and safety           
• A7 - Identifying hazards, assessing and evaluating risk
• A8 - Risk control
• A9 - Organisational factors
• A10 - Human factors
• A11 - The role of health & safety practitioner 

Unit B: Hazardous Agents in the Workplace

Unit B details all major aspects of managing chemical, biological, physical and physiological hazards in the workplace.

• B1 - Managing Occupational Health
• B2 - Identification, assessment & evaluation of hazardous substances
• B3 - Control of hazardous substances
• B4 - Monitoring and measuring
• B5 - Biological agents
• B6 - Physical agents - noise and vibration
• B7 - Physical agents - radiation
• B8 - Mental ill-health & dealing with violence & aggression at work
• B9 - Musculoskeletal risks and controls
• B10 - Work environment risks and controls

Unit C: Workplace and Work Equipment Safety

Unit C provides a thorough understanding of how to create and manage safe working environments, covering welfare, fire, dangerous substances, work equipment, electricity, construction and transport. 

• C1 - Workplace welfare requirements and specific workplace issues
• C2 - Fire and explosion
• C3 - Workplace fire risk assessment
• C4 - Storage, handling and processing of dangerous substances
• C5 - Work equipment (general)
• C6 - Work equipment (workplace machinery)
• C7 - Mobile, lifting, access and work at height equipment
• C8 - Electrical safety 
• C9 - Construction & works of a temporary nature - hazards and controls
• C10 - Workplace transport and driving for work

Unit DNI: Application of Health and Safety Theory and Practice

Unit DNI (Unit D for the National and International Diploma) is a new combined unit which replaces Unit D. it consists of an 8,000 word written assignment set by NEBOSH, designed to demonstrate the application of the knowledge you have gained through previous units. The completed assignment should be submitted electronically to be marked by external examiners appointed by NEBOSH.

As per the new syllabus, content from element A11 will now only be assessed in Unit DNI. Although the actual content from A11 sits within Unit A, it may not be taught alongside the rest of the unit.

Unit assessments

Units A, B and C are each assessed by a three-hour written question paper. The exams consist of 11 questions split into 2 sections and covers each element within the unit, with a total of 120 marks available. 

Unit DNI is a written assignment which assess the practical application of knowledge gained throughout the course. Individuals must demonstrate their understanding of the role of a health and safety practitioner and their ability to respond to risk and improve performance. 

NEBOSH National Diploma course: further information

Choosing to study for your qualification with Astutis means you can undertake the NEBOSH National Diploma course in either of the following ways:

• Online - learn whenever you want with our guided multimedia-rich online course
• In a classroom - structured learning with fellow professionals on our classroom courses
• Wherever you want - with our distance learning option for the independent learner
• At your place of work for multiple staff members with our In-company course

Read more information on the NEBOSH Diploma course itself as well as these learning options.

If you're in the Armed Forces, start a career in health & safety 

Armed Forces' members can get financial support for higher level learning. As Astutis is an approved and registered partner of Enhanced Learning Credits Administration Service (ELCAS) courses you can get funding to study with us. Find out more.