NEBOSH National General Certificate

Course review:

NEBOSH's Certificate-level qualifications give a good foundation in health and safety for managers, supervisors and staff with health and safety among their day to day responsibilities. These qualifications are widely taken as a first step towards a career in health and safety and are accepted by IOSH - the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health - in meeting the academic requirements for Technician Membership of IOSH (Tech IOSH)

NEBOSH National General Certificate is the most widely held health and safety qualification in the UK. The course is aimed at managers, supervisors and staff from all types of organisations who need a broad understanding of health and safety issues. The certificate helps them manage risk effectively. Many people take the NEBOSH General Certificate as a first step in a career in health and safety. It provides a valuable overview, and is a sound basis for further professional study such as NEBOSH National Diploma level.

The course is run over 10 days, typically split into two weeks, plus 1 day for the examination and covers:

• Safety and health foundations - understanding the legal, moral & economic requirements in order to maintain good safety systems and standards in health and safety within an organisation
• Safety and health management - developing positive and effective health and safety cultures within organisations, and the setting of safety policies, roles and responsibilities.
• Monitoring, auditing and reviewing - preparing and performing reviews and audits along with understanding the importance of proactive and reactive health and safety monitoring measures.
• Risk assessment - Identifying hazards and risks in the workplace, carrying out risk assessments and recording and reviewing the findings.
• Principles of control - understanding the strategies for controlling hazards and reducing risks and how to apply and manage safe systems of work.
• Accident investigation - understanding the processes and procedures for reporting and investigation accidents at work, including RIDDOR requirements.
• Movement of people, vehicles and loads - understanding the risks involved with pedestrian and vehicle operations, manual handling and lifting and moving of equipment.
• Work equipment - understanding the risks associated with tools and machinery including electrical equipment.
• Construction safety - identifying the hazards and precautions required for safe construction work and recognising some of the common health hazards such as vibration, noise, asbestos, substances etc.
• Physical and psychological health hazards - such as task and workstation design, the work environment (including welfare facilities), noise, heat, stress and violence etc.
• Fire safety - identifying fire hazards and risks and providing fire prevention measuressuch as equipment, alarm systems and emergency procedures.
• Control of substances hazardous to health - recognition of chemical and biological hazards and the associated risks and controls of exposure including surveys, safety data sheets and monitoring techniques.

Delegates who successfully complete two written papers, plus a practical assessment will be awarded the NEBOSH National General Certificate

Successful completion of the NEBOSH National General Certificate Course entitles delegates to apply to IOSH and IIRSM for use of the respective post-nominal designatories 'Tech IOSH' and 'AIIRSM'.