One of the most frequent questions we are asked is “should I take a NEBOSH or IOSH course?”. They’re usually referring to either the NEBOSH general certificate or IOSH Managing Safely. We deliver both training courses and they are both great but the question we ask is “Why do you want to take the course?”
IOSH Managing Safely
The IOSH Managing Safely course is a good awareness course for those with management responsibility or those with health and safety responsibility but it is not their primary role. You won’t suddenly become a health and safety expert but you’ll gain a good understanding of health and safety issues and some practical steps on how to tackle them.
The course covers:
- Assessing risks
- Controlling risks
- Understanding responsibilities
- Understanding hazards
- Investigating incidents
- Measuring performance
This is usually a four-day course and is assessed by a one-hour multi-format exam and a short risk assessment exercise. If you undertake this course you’ll be eligible to become an associate member of IOSH.
NEBOSH General Certificate
If you want to become a health and safety practitioner then the NEBOSH general certificate is the course for you. It is the go-to qualification that employers look for when recruiting health and safety professionals and is a minimum standard. It is also a great qualification for people who aren’t health and safety practitioners or have any ambition of becoming one but have management responsibility or work in a high-risk environment.
The course covers:
- How to effectively manage health and safety
- How to identify and control common workplace hazards
- How to measure if you’ve been successful
- The UK’s key legal requirements
This is a ten-day course and is assessed by an open book exam and practical risk assessment exercise. This is a more in-depth qualification than IOSH Managing Safely. You can also use this qualification to become a Technician member of IOSH but can also work toward technical or chartered membership.
Which one will you take?
So if you’re wondering which course to take, it’s IOSH if you manage people and want a good awareness of health and safety and NEBOSH if you want more in-depth knowledge of health and safety and/or want to become a health and safety practitioner. We have both courses upcoming. If you’re interested in either then please register your interest and we hope to see you soon!
0333 358 2032