Introduction
NEBOSH International General Certificate in Occupational Safety and Health is broadly respected everywhere in the world and NEBOSH IGC is essential for anybody who is working in or is planning to work in the field of health and safety. It presents an excellent introduction to occupational safety and health, and it is suitable for working with all types of organizations and industries. NEBOSH IGC is ideal:
- For Everybody working in a safety-related role
- For Those who are looking or planning to start a career in the health and safety field.
- For the Managers and the supervisors with the safety responsibilities as part of the broader role in health and safety
Gain an appreciation for your health and safety skills and knowledge throughout the world with the NEBOSH International General Certificate (IGC) in Occupational Health and Safety.
“After gaining a NEBOSH International General Certificate I was able to suggest and implement new ideas that reduced Lost Time Injuries by 75%. My achievements helped me to secure my current role as a manager. I also wrote a research paper around my experiences and was privileged to be named ‘National Volunteer OSH Research Ambassador’ as part of Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta’s ‘Big Four Agenda’.”
David Ongesa – Occupational Safety, Health and Environment Manager, ARM Cement Plc, Kenya
The NEBOSH IGC is one of the highly recommended qualifications in occupational safety and health across the world. NEBOSH IGC gives knowledge, skills and it enables you to know-how to perform the health and safety responsibilities for the any individual working in any organization.
The NEBOSH International General Certificate (IGC) in the Occupational Health and Safety provides the deep understanding of general health and safety issues or problems that affect all types of the organization and NEBOSH IGC enables the risks to be managed efficiently. As well as NEBOSH IGC covering the range of workplace hazards, risks and the methods of the control, it includes the reference to the international standards linking to the management of the health and safety at work.
NEBOSH IGC gives the valuable overview, and it is a sound basis for the further professional study in Occupational Health and Safety, For example, the NEBOSH International Diploma, Fire Certificate and the Construction Certificate.
The NEBOSH International General Certificate will give you invaluable knowledge and skills AND a globally respected qualification that supports your current role and your long-term career.
Unit IG1: 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 IG2: Risk Assessment
- Physical and psychological health
- Musculoskeletal health
- Chemical and biological agents
- General workplace issues
- Work equipment
- Fire
- Electricity
After NEBOSH IGC, You will be able to:
- Justify health and safety improvements using moral, financial, and legal arguments
- Advise on the main duties for health and safety in the workplace and help their organization manage contractors
- Work within a health and safety management system, recognizing what effective policy, organizational responsibilities and arrangements should look like
- Positively influence health and safety culture and behavior to improve performance in their organization
- Do a general risk assessment in their own workplace – profiling and prioritizing risks, inspecting the workplace, recognizing a range of common hazards, evaluating risks (taking account of current controls), recommending further control measures, planning actions
- Recognize workplace changes that have significant health and safety impacts and effective ways to minimize those impacts
- Develop basic safe systems of work (including taking account of typical emergencies) and knowing when to use permit-to-work systems for special risks
- Take part in incident investigations
- Help their employer to check their management system effectiveness – through monitoring, audits, and reviews
This modern qualification combines activities, learning, and interactive materials to provide you with an interesting and engaging experience. It focuses on key skills that mean you can instantly apply the knowledge you gain and add value to your organization.
Assessment is a two-step process:
- IG1 – 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.
- IG2 – A practical risk assessment to assess what you can do (3 hours). You 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.
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.
A chart mapping IELTS scores to the Common European Framework for Languages (CEFR) can be found on the British Council and IELTS websites:
Learners wishing to assess their own language expertise may consult the FAQs on the IELTS website for information on taking the test.
Important Note: the NEBOSH International 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.
Professional Membership
Once you have your qualification parchment for the IGC, you can apply for the following memberships
| Membership Body | Membership Category | Designatory Letters |
|---|---|---|
| International Institute of Risk and Safety Management | Associate | AIIRSM |
| Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) | Associate/Technical | AIOSH/Tech IOSH |
The IGC has two unit assessments; you must achieve a ‘Pass’ in each unit to be awarded the qualification.
You will have five years to complete your qualification. The five-year period starts from the date you passed your first successful unit (we call this the ‘declaration date’). Any unit that is five or more years old will not count towards the qualification and you will need to retake this/these unit(s) if you still want to complete the qualification.
You may re-sit a unit assessment if:
- you achieved a ‘Pass’ in a unit that is five or more years old and you need it to achieve the qualification;
- you are ‘Referred’ (ie, don’t pass); or
- want to retake Unit IG1 to get a higher grade (Unit IG2 is ‘Pass’ or ‘Refer’ and does not count towards the qualification grade).
There is no limit to the number of times you can re-sit unit(s) within the five-year period. A refund will not be given if you register to re-sit a unit before an original unit result is known. If your re-sit result is lower than the original mark, you will keep the original mark awarded for the unit. Re-sit marks are not capped.
If you want to try to improve your grade in Unit IG1, you need to tell us in writing within 20 working days of the declaration date of your second successful unit. Otherwise, a qualification parchment will automatically be issued showing the original declaration date.
Qualification Grading
| Marks | Passed With |
|---|---|
| 75+ | Distinction |
| 65-74 | Credit |
| 45-64 | Pass |
| 0-44 | Refer |
When you have completed both units, you are normally considered to have completed the whole qualification.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
With an in-depth focus on the things that matter, the NEBOSH International General Certificate covers the core skills you need, wherever in the world you work.
You will learn:
- How to effectively manage health and safety
- How to identify and control common workplace hazards
- How to measure if you’ve been successful
- Relevant key international standards
The International General Certificate can be studied in multiple languages including:
- English
- Arabic
- Russian
- Turkish
- Portuguese (European)
- Spanish (European)
- French
Risk assessment is central to the qualification. Through study and workplace application, successful learners will be able to:
- Confidently carry out risk assessments
- Develop and implement a detailed action plan
- Manage and minimise workplace risks
- Support and develop your company’s health and safety culture
When you achieve the IGC, you will be a huge asset to your employer. You will make a real difference in the workplace. You will have the knowledge, understanding and skills to help protect the health and safety of all workers. You will also be able help your employer to comply with the law and good practice, as well as help them avoid the huge costs from incidents and ill-health.
This qualification is designed for anyone (managers, supervisors and workers) in any type of organisation. It’s ideal for anyone who needs a broad understanding of health and safety issues to be able to manage day-to-day risks effectively. Many people take the International General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety (IGC) as a first step in a career in health and safety. It gives a valuable overview, and is a sound basis for further professional study
The International General Certificate will give you invaluable knowledge and skills AND a globally respected qualification that supports your current role and your long-term career.
A NEBOSH open book examination will assess the same learning outcomes and assessment criteria as an invigilated paper-based examination. Unlike an invigilated paper-based examination, learners can have access to textbooks and the internet. However, the questions asked, and answers we expect will differ; we will test the learner’s ability to analyse, evaluate and apply their learning.
You can find a list of upcoming open book examinations here
| Unit | Examination Date | Results Notification Date |
| NG/IG1, NGC/IGC1 (all available languages) | 09 June 2021 | 18 August 2021 |
| NG/IG1, NGC/IGC1 (all available languages) | 04 August 2021 | 14 October 2021 |
| NG/IG1, NGC/IGC1 (all available languages) | 06 October 2021 | 15 December 2021 |
| NG/IG1, NGC/IGC1 (all available languages) | 01 December 2021 | 18 February 2022 |
| NG/IG1, NGC1/IGC1 (English only) | 02 February 2022 | 13 April 2022 |
| NG/IG1, NGC/IGC1 (all available languages) | 02 March 2022 | 16 May 2022 |
| NG/IG1 (English only) | 06 April 2022 | 22 June 2022 |
| NG/IG1 (English only) | 04 May 2022 | 15 July 2022 |
| NG/IG1 (all available languages) | 08 June 2022 | 17 August 2022 |
| NG/IG1 (English only) | 06 July 2022 | 15 September 2022 |
| NG/IG1 (English only) | 03 August 2022 | 13 October 2022 |
| NG/IG1 (all available languages) | 07 September 2022 | 16 November 2022 |
| NG/IG1 (English only) | 05 October 2022 | 14 December 2022 |
| NG/IG1 (English only) | 02 November 2022 | 20 January 2023 |
| NG/IG1 (all available languages) | 07 December 2022 | 24 February 2023 |
NEBOSH will describe a workplace scenario including its normal operational activities and worker behavior. Learners will then be asked a series of questions and we want answers to reflect the workplace given. It is therefore vital that learners take the time to read and understand the scenario.
An example question might be:
How could you improve consultation with the workforce in the organization described?
If learners answer by simply reproducing text from course notes, this will not be enough to pass. We need learners to demonstrate they can apply knowledge by providing answers to the scenario given and, in some cases, specific evidence will be required to support answers.
The qualification will also continue to be accredited by the Scottish Qualifications Authority at the same level and recognized in the same way by membership bodies such as IOSH.
The pass mark for open book examinations is 45.
Results will be issued 50 working days from the examination date and sent to the email address registered to your learner record.
Please note that results will be sent out via email in the days leading up to results day. This means that some people may receive theirs early, but everyone will still receive their result on or before the results day as planned. The time you receive your result is not a reflection of a pass or refer mark, so please do not worry that you have been referred if you receive your result later than a friend or classmate.
NEBOSH recommend that you keep a copy of your original submission until your results are declared should there be any technical difficulties.
Congratulations!
If you have passed AND now passed all units of your qualification, then we will print your certificate within 20 working days. Your certificate will then be sent to your Learning Partner who will distribute it to you.
NEBOSH does not currently provide feedback on your assessment performance. We do however have a number of different documents to assist learners in making sure they are fully prepared for any future assessments, they can all be downloaded from our OBE resources page and include:
-
- Guidance documents
- A sample paper
- A learner feedback document
This would be in addition to any specific preparation that your Learning Partner provides.
We offer an Enquiry About Result (EAR) service for learners who believe their mark does not reflect their performance. There are two types of EAR available:
Enquiry Type 1: clerical check
This ensures all parts of the submission have been marked and that marks have been totalled correctly.
Enquiry Type 2: re-mark
This is a re-mark of the script by a different Examiner, who is a higher level than the original examiner. This type of enquiry does not include a clerical check.
All Enquiry about Results (EAR) requests should be made directly to NEBOSH within one month of the results issue date. Full payment must be made before the EAR request can be processed. Further information can be found in our EAR Policy.
The NEBOSH General Certificate is a foundation-level qualification. It’s level 3 on the National Qualification Framework (NQF) and level 6 on the Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework.
People who pass the course are qualified to manage health and safety. And that’s a serious job, they don’t just hand it out to anyone!
That said, almost 300,000 people hold the NEBOSH General Certificate, showing that with a bit of hard work and proper guidance, there’s no reason why you can’t pass with flying colours.
Here are just a few factors to consider before taking the NEBOSH General Certificate to make sure you’re as prepared as possible.
Now it’s very easy to verify the NEBOSH IGC certificate, NEBOSH is pasting now QR Code on all the NEBOSH IGC certificates, If you’re an iPhone user, you can simply scan the QR Code with the camera and it will show all your detail in a web browser and if you’re using an android phone, you can scan QR Code by installing QR Code applications.
After passing NEBOSH IGC, you can go for NEBOSH Idip Level 6.
