What is the NEBOSH General Certificate?
The NEBOSH General Certificate course is the most widely recognised health and safety qualification of its kind, designed for managers and staff who need a broad understanding of health and safety issues.
Awarded by The National Educational Board in Occupational Health and Safety (NEBOSH), it is a level 3 qualification course which teaches you how to:
- Make your workplace safer
- Control hazards and risks
- Prevent accidents and injury
Why take the NEBOSH General Certificate?
The NEBOSH course is highly relevant for any organisation and can deliver a significant positive impact with improved skills and performance organisation-wide, such as:
- Reducing workplace injuries and work-related illness
- Signalling your commitment to creating a safer workplace
- Improving organisational reputation and secure more business
- Creating a better working environment, leading to increased motivation and performance
- Acquiring in-house expertise, meaning a more proactive approach to safety
Who is the course for?
This course is designed for managers, supervisors and staff from all types of organisations, who need a solid understanding of the principles of health and safety principles and risk management.
The general certificate will help you manage risks effectively. Many people take the NEBOSH National General Certificate as a first step toward a career in health and safety. It provides valuable knowledge and is a sound foundation for further professional study in health and safety, such as the NEBOSH Diploma.
The NEBOSH Certificate is a widely respected qualification that meets the requirements for Technician Membership of IOSH and Associate Membership of IIRSM.
*The online/e-learning route for this course is suited to those that wish to limit the amount of time that they are away from the workplace. If you are self-motivated and prefer to learn at your own pace then this is the learning method for you.
For more information, view our 'who's it for?' article.
NEBOSH General Certificate Syllabus
The NEBOSH General Certificate syllabus tackles the UK's key legal requirements and how to effectively manage health and safety by identifying and controlling common workplace hazards. It also shows you how to measure your success.
The syllabus is maintained by NEBOSH and a panel of experts and learning providers. It represents current legislation and reflects health and safety challenges faced by every industry.
It is split into two units:
Unit NG1: Management of Health and Safety
- 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
Unit NG2: Risk Assessment
- 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
The full NEBOSH course syllabus can be found here.
How is the course assessed?
The course is also assessed in two parts; an online open-book exam and a practical risk assessment. To gain the NEBOSH International General Certificate, you'll need to pass both.
Find out more about the assessments in our comprehensive guides:
How long is the course?
Classroom/In-House
The NEBOSH General Certificate course takes place over a 10-day period and requires between 80-120 hours of study. This time is made up of taught and self-study time.
You will typically attend your course between 9am and 5pm.
You'll have five learning days delivered over five consecutive weeks to cover NG1 content, followed by a week break, before diving into a further five days on NG2 (the practical assessment) delivered over five weeks.
Online
For the online course, NEBOSH recommends that you will require a minimum of 113 hours of learning and study time, plus the time required to complete the exam.
Depending on the time you have available to learn the online course can take from 3-9 months to complete. You can fit the learning around your commitments and have twelve months' access to our system.
How much does it cost?
- A classroom and virtual NEBOSH General Certificate course costs £1295+VAT per attendee
- The cost of in-house courses, run exclusively for your organisation, vary based on numbers and specific requirements.#
- The online E-learning NEBOSH costs £475+VAT per license - Discounts are available when purchasing multiple licenses, please enquire for more information.
Please note: this price does not include the price of exams. Exams can be booked when you purchase your course license, but most customers choose to book their assessments when they feel they are ready to sit the exam and complete the risk assessment.
Exam Fees: NEBOSH charge Fees @ £125+VAT for the NG1 exam and £125+VAT for the NG2 risk assessment.
Depending on your situation, there are sometimes funding options available to you, read our guide to funding for NEBOSH. Funding is currently available in Wales for those that have or are being made redundant, read more.
For more information about costs, get in touch with our friendly team.
A Fast Track to NEBOSH qualification
The NEBOSH General Certificate is well known for its demanding time commitment, but did you know you can condense the learning into just 5-6 weeks?
The Fast Track course content is just the same as the standard course, you just get the qualification done and dusted in less time. You'll have five consecutive learning days, a two-week break, then five more consecutive learning days, followed by the exam.
If this is the right route for you, look out for our 'Fast Track NEBOSH General' events below. To find out more about the fast track and how its different visit our fast track blog.
Reasons to take your NEBOSH course with TSW
- We're a NEBOSH Gold learning partner, which means we meet principles of best practice set by NEBOSH themselves.
- We only work with the best trainers. Your trainer is NEBOSH qualified, has practical experience in the field and is an inspiring and rehearsed trainer.
- We provide Gold learning partner levels of support throughout your qualification; our trainers are available 24/7 to answer your questions and prepare you for your examinations.
- Our exam pass rates are above the national average, so you can be assured that you have the best chance of success.
- Our NEBOSH graduates shape our course delivery. We ask for feedback and consistently improve our approach, so you get the best experience.
Meet our Head of NEBOSH delivery (and NEBOSH trainer extraordinaire)
When you take your qualification with TSW, you are in very safe hands.
Luke Pitt is a chartered health and safety practitioner and qualified teacher. He holds two fellowships with the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management and the Royal Society for Public Health.
He has been a registered member of the Occupational Safety and Health Consultants Register (created by the HSE) since its inception. Awarded the standard of Recognised Safety Practitioner by IIRSM, he spends spend a lot of time mentoring H&S practitioners in the industry for IOSH.
I'd happily recommend this course to friends and colleagues. Thank you Luke for your time and masses of knowledge in the health and safety field. -
How do I take the NEBOSH General Certificate?
There are four ways to study towards the NEBOSH General Certificate, click below to find out more about each option.
