NEBOSH General Certificate Syllabus

The NEBOSH International General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety (IGC) is a leading qualification in health and safety management. It'll teach you the essential skills to be able to identify and manage real, everyday risks in your workplace.

The course is based on International standards, such as the International Labour Organisation (ILO), so you can confidently apply what you've learnt in whatever industry or country you work in.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, you'll be able to:

Justify the need for health and safety improvements
Advise on duties for health and safety in the workplace
Help your organisation to manage contractors
Work within a health and safety management system
Positively influence health and safety culture and behaviour
Carry out a general risk assessment (using a 5-step approach) of your workplace
Recognise workplace changes and their impacts and understand how to minimise these impacts
Develop basic safe systems of work that include emergency arrangements and know when to use a permit-to-work system
Take part in incident investigations
Help your employer check the effectiveness of their health and safety management system through monitoring, auditing and review.

NEBOSH International General Certificate Course syllabus

UNIT IG1: MANAGEMENT OF HEALTH AND SAFETY

Element 1: Why we should manage workplace health and safety

1.1 Morals and money
1.2 Regulating health and safety
1.3 Who does what in organisations

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

2.1 What they are and the benefits they bring
2.2 What good health and safety management systems look like

Element 3: Managing risk – understanding people and processes

3.1 Health and safety culture
3.2 Improving health and safety culture
3.3 How human factors influence behaviour
3.4 Assessing risk
3.5 Management of change
3.6 Safe systems of work
3.7 Permit-to-work systems
3.8 Emergency procedures

Element 4: Health and safety monitoring and measuring

4.1 Active and reactive monitoring
4.2 Investigating incidents
4.3 Health and safety auditing
4.4 Review of health and safety performance

Element 5: Physical and psychological health

5.1 Noise
5.2 Vibration
5.3 Radiation
5.4 Mental ill-health
5.5 Violence at work
5.6 Substance abuse at work

Element 6: Musculoskeletal health

6.1 Work-related upper limb disorders
6.2 Manual handling
6.3 Load-handling equipment

Element 7: Chemical and biological agents

7.1 Hazardous substances
7.2 Assessment of health risks
7.4 Control measures
7.5 Specific agents

Element 8: General workplace issues

8.1 Health, welfare and work environment
8.2 Working at height
8.3 Safe working in confined spaces
8.4 Lone working
8.5 Slips and trips
8.6 Safe movement of people and vehicles
8.7 Work-related driving

Element 9: Work equipment

9.1 General requirements
9.2 Hand-held tools
9.3 Machinery hazards
9.4 Control measures for machinery

Element 10: Fire

10.1 Fire principles
10.2 Preventing fire and fire spread
10.3 Fire alarms and fire-fighting
10.4 Fire evacuation

Element 11: Electricity

11.1 Hazards and risks
11.2 Control measures

UNIT IG2: RISK ASSESSMENT

IG2 is an assessed workplace assignment. You need to show your ability to practically apply what you've learned from your studies by completing a risk assessment. The assessment is split into 4 stages:

Description of the organisation and methodology
Risk assessment
Priority actions with justifications
Review, communicate and check

Course assessments

NEBOSH has introduced open book exams for both the NEBOSH National and International General Certificates – units NG1, IG1, NGC1 and IGC1. This replaces in-person closed book exams and enables learners to sit their NEBOSH assessment in their own home or another safe and suitable location.

Assessment is a two-step process.