12 - National NEBOSH General Certificate

The NEBOSH General Certificate is the UK’s most popular & respected health & safety qualification, suitable for managers, supervisors and team leaders alike.

Prices starting from £395 +vat

What is the NEBOSH National General Certificate?

The NEBOSH General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety is one of the UK’s most popular and widely respected health and safety qualifications. More than 200,000 people have passed the General Certificate, and it is considered the industry standard. The syllabus is informed by the practices of industry leading health and safety professionals, and as such it provides detailed insights into best practices for health and safety across all industries and sectors. 

The course provides a valuable overview of the core aspects of occupational health and safety, equipping you with the skills to manage and assess workplace risk effectively. 

NEBOSH General Certificate candidates can enjoy enhanced flexibility as they can choose to study between traditional in-person classroom sessions, virtual classroom environments, or an e-learning course.

The National Educational Board in Occupational Health and Safety (NEBOSH) is an independent examination board delivering vocational qualifications in health, safety and environmental practice and management. 87% of UK employers ask for a NEBOSH qualification when they are recruiting for health and safety roles, making the NEBOSH General Certificate invaluable for health and safety professionals. 

Learning options

4 learning types available

Benefits for Learners 

  • Create a strong foundation for a career in health and safety 

  • Develop confidence in your role as a health and safety practitioner with key knowledge and skills 

  • Learn to recognise and minimise workplace risk so you can safeguard your peers 

Benefits for Employers 

  • Improve health and safety culture across your business 

  • Increase productivity with less days of absence due to workplace induced accident or illness 

  • Demonstrate your commitment to health and safety to both employees and fellow businesses 

Student Approved 

Rated 4.9/5 stars on Trustpilot, our unbeatable service comes from Phoenix’s commitment to providing the best possible learning experience for our course attendees.  

Student support 

With student groups such as our Facebook student community, our team of experts only a call away and learning materials of the highest quality, here at Phoenix we provide all the support you need to succeed in your studies.

The Phoenix Pass Pledge 

Every Phoenix NEBOSH course entitles you to continue studying free of charge if you fail to meet the required standard in examinations. However, this is rarely necessary. Our pass rate for NEBOSH courses is above industry average, with a high number of credits and distinctions. 

Accredited Partner 

Phoenix Health and Safety is a NEBOSH Gold Partner. This accreditation means our NEBOSH course materials, tutors, and learning environments are all stamped with excellence. 

Relevant to every workplace, the NEBOSH National General Certificate is ideal if you are a manager or supervisor and have health and safety management responsibilities. We also recommend this course if you are embarking on a career in health and safety or wish to advance a career in the industry. 

There are no formal entry requirements for this course. 

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. 

By the end of the course, candidates will have developed the skills to:

  • Justify health and safety improvements using moral, financial and legal arguments

  • Advise on the main duties for health and safety in the workplace

  • Help their organisation manage contractors

  • Work within a health and safety management system, recognising what effective general policy, organisation and arrangements should look like

  • Positively influence health and safety culture and behaviour to improve performance in their organisation

  • Do a general risk assessment in their own workplace – profiling and prioritising risks, inspecting the workplace, recognising a range of common hazards, evaluating risks (taking account of current controls), recommending further control measures and planning actions

  • Recognise workplace changes that have significant health and safety impacts and effective ways to minimise 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

The National General Certificate involves a minimum of 68 taught hours and approximately 40 hours of private study and background reading.

  • When studied through classroom, virtual classroom or in-house learning, the course is 9 days plus online revision and an online exam.

  • When studied through E-learning, we recommend spending between 100 and 120 hours on the course. If you study through this method you will need to book your NEBOSH exam separately.

The online exams are run by NEBOSH every month. Follow this link to book your NEBOSH exam

Our classroom course timings are 09:00-17:00 Monday - Friday.

Study the NEBOSH General Certificate in-person at one of over ten venues across the country, or enjoy tutor-led sessions from your own home by booking a virtual classroom course. Both our in-person and online NEBOSH General Certificate courses come with the Phoenix pass pledge, which means that candidates are entitled to continue studying (free of charge) if they fail to meet the required standard in the examinations. 

You can also study the NEBOSH National General Certificate online through e-Learning, where you'll gain access to our specially designed, interactive course. E-Learning students can study wherever and whenever they please, pausing and resuming their course as they need, allowing for maximum flexibility with their studies.

The NEBOSH National General Certificate course has an assessment for each unit: 

  • Unit NG1 - an online, open book exam which candidates will have 24 hours to complete. It requires you to answer a set of questions relating to real-life scenarios. To pass you need to score at least 45 marks.

  • Unit NG2 - a practical risk assessment, carried out in the student's workplace. It includes the development of an action plan that can immediately be utilised to improve health and safety practices. You either pass or fail this assessment.

Your grade for the NEBOSH General Certificate is based on the grade you achieve in your NG1 exam:

  • Pass: 45-64 marks

  • Credit: 65-74 marks

  • Distinction: 75+ marks

You still need to pass the NG2 to complete the qualification.

If you are booking the classroom or virtual classroom course, your exam cost will be included within the price. If you are booking on to the e-learning course your exams will be an extra fee and will need to be booked separately. 

Exam dates are set by NEBOSH and can be found on our 'book a NEBOSH exam' page. 

Many people who have passed the NEBOSH certificate progress to studying the NEBOSH National Diploma, which is a degree-level qualification that advances your prospects as a health and safety professional. 

  • When and how will I receive my NEBOSH General Certificate results?

Results are provided by NEBOSH after completing the course. NEBOSH sends out the results 10-12 weeks after the exams. Your certificates will arrive after the results have been announced.

  • What happens if I fail the NEBOSH General Certificate assessment?

The Phoenix Pass Pledge will cover your additional studies for the NEBOSH General Certificate, but you retake the exams at your own cost. 

  • What level are NEBOSH qualifications?

NEBOSH Certificates are level 3, which is equivalent to an A level qualification. NEBOSH Diplomas are level 6, which is equivalent to an Honours Degree.

  • Are there any entry requirements for the NEBOSH General Certificate?

There are no entry requirements, which makes the NEBOSH Certificate an ideal starting point for your health and safety training. Learners must have a suitable standard of English language to understand and articulate the concepts contained in the syllabus.  

  • How much does the NEBOSH General Certificate cost?

The NEBOSH General Certificate course costs between £395 and £1595. Our E-Learning course is £395+VAT, the Virtual Classroom course is £1150+VAT and the Classroom Learning course is £1550+VAT for courses outside of London, and 1595+VAT for London courses.

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