NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety

*In 2022, our open book exam pass rate was 83%, compared to the NEBOSH national average of 67%!*

The National General Certificate is the most widely held health and safety qualification in the UK. It is suitable for managers, supervisors, and staff from all types of organisations who need a broad understanding of health and safety issues. The certificate helps manage risk effectively, providing a valuable overview and a sound basis for further professional study.

Over 200,000 people hold a NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety. Why? Because it’s the gold standard in health and safety qualifications.

It can help to:

• Minimise workplace injuries and illness

• Boost employee wellbeing

• Demonstrate your commitment to health and safety, which can win business

• Strengthen your health and safety culture

• Ensure your organisation has valuable in-house health and safety expertise

Fees

Fees include course delivery, workbooks, refreshments (classroom based courses only), NEBOSH NG1 and NG2 exam fees and certification on successful completion. There are no additional hidden costs.

Course Content

Qualification Structure

Unit NG1: Management of health and safety

• Why we should manage workplace health and safety

• How health and safety management systems work and what they look like

• Managing risk – understanding people and processes

• Health and safety monitoring and measuring

Unit NG2: Risk assessment

• Physical and psychological health

• Musculoskeletal health

• Chemical and biological agents

• General workplace issues

• Work equipment

• Fire

• Electricity

Tutor Support

The NEBOSH Tutor will provide support in relation to the course content and assessments. Administrative support will also be provided by other Hunter Safety employees. Both can be contacted by telephone or email. Learners can also opt in to join a Whatsapp group for their course, to share questions and ideas with their fellow learners. We will aim to respond where possible by the next working day for all queries.

Examination Method

Assessment Structure

Assessment is a two-step process:

NG1 - An open book examination to assess what you know. This is scenario based and will include a closing interview, you will be asked questions about your submission.

NG2 - A practical risk assessment to assess what you can do (3 hours). Learners will complete a risk assessment and develop an action plan for their workplace – this is immediately useful and valuable.

Assessments are marked by external examiners appointed by NEBOSH. These examiners are chosen for their experience and expertise to ensure that learners are assessed by the very best from our industry.

Examination Results

All results for assessments taken in English (including those for the practical application) should be received within 50 working days from the date of the examination or submission of assignment. The specific date is written on your examination entry confirmation.

The qualification grade is based on the result from Unit NG1:

• Distinction: 75 marks or higher

• Credit: 65 - 74 marks

• Pass: 45 - 64 marks

Resitting an Examination

If you have received a fail or referral in a NEBOSH General Certificate unit exam, you can either:

• Resit the exam, or

• Appeal to NEBOSH about your result

Appealing your result

If you feel your result doesn’t match your reasonable expectations, you can appeal to get your unit remarked by submitting an Enquiries About Results (EAR) form within 20 days of the result being issued. Be prepared that this could also result in you being issued a lower mark than the original.

Resitting your NEBOSH Certificate exam

You can resit a failed unit providing you do so within 5 years of your first successful unit being issued. If you haven’t yet passed a unit, the 5-year time frame won’t apply until you have successfully achieved a unit.

Resit Fees

The fee to resit the NG1 exam or NG2 practical assessment is £120 + VAT per unit.

Entry Requirements

Language/Entry requirements

There are no entry requirements for this qualification, however it is important that learners have a suitable standard of English language in order to understand and articulate the concepts contained in the syllabus.

NEBOSH recommends that learners undertaking this qualification should reach a minimum standard of English equivalent to an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 6.0 or higher in IELTS tests.

For further information please see the latest version of the IELTS Handbook or consult the IELTS website.

Important note: the NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety (October 2018 specifications) is a standalone qualification. This means that you will not be able to use units from other NEBOSH qualifications against any part of this qualification.

Enrolment Period

When you start the course, we enrol you as a student with NEBOSH. Your initial enrolment period lasts for 5 years. This means that you must pass your first unit within 5 years. If you fail to pass your first unit within 5 years, you will need to re-enrol and pay another registration fee.

When you pass your first unit, your enrolment period is automatically re-set and you have a further 5 years to pass the remaining unit. If you do not pass the remaining unit within 5 years, your first unit will expire and you will have to retake this unit in order to pass the qualification.

Learning Agreement

Prior to starting a NEBOSH course with us, you will be asked to read and sign the learner agreement.

Professional Body Recognition

Professional body recognition

Holders of the NEBOSH National General Certificate are entitled to:

Associate Membership (AIOSH) of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). The qualification also meets the academic requirements for Technical Membership (Tech IOSH) of IOSH

Maintaining professional standards

The NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety has been accredited and credit rated by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) Accreditation. It sits in the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) at SCQF Level 6 with 11 SCQF credit points.

SCQF Level 6 is comparable to RQF/CQFW Level 3 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.