If you are looking to develop a career in health and safety, either in the UK or internationally, the NEBOSH International General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety provides an excellent foundation.
The qualification is designed to give learners the knowledge and practical skills needed to understand workplace health and safety, manage everyday risks and contribute to a safer working environment.
More than 265,000 people have achieved the NEBOSH International General Certificate, making it a well-established qualification for health and safety professionals around the world.
Who is the NEBOSH International General Certificate for?
The qualification is relevant across a wide range of industries and workplaces.
It is particularly suitable for:
- Managers and supervisors
- Employees with health and safety responsibilities
- Health and safety advisers
- People starting a career in occupational health and safety
- Professionals working for international organisations
- Construction, engineering and manufacturing professionals
- Facilities and logistics managers
- Service leavers moving into civilian health and safety roles
NEBOSH describes the qualification as suitable for anyone who needs a broad understanding of health and safety issues so they can manage day-to-day workplace risks effectively. It can also provide a strong foundation for further professional study.
What will you learn?
The International General Certificate focuses on both health and safety management and practical workplace risk.
Learners develop an understanding of how to:
- Effectively manage health and safety
- Identify and control common workplace hazards
- Carry out workplace risk assessments
- Develop appropriate action plans
- Support a positive health and safety culture
- Monitor and review health and safety performance
- Understand relevant international standards and good practice
Risk assessment is a central part of the qualification, helping learners develop skills that can be applied directly within their own workplace.
What does the course cover?
The current NEBOSH International General Certificate is divided into two units:
GIC1 – Management of Health and Safety
This unit develops your understanding of how health and safety should be managed within an organisation.
Topics include:
- Why workplace health and safety should be managed
- Health and safety management systems
- Managing risk, people and processes
- Health and safety monitoring and measurement
- Health and safety culture and behaviour
- Incident investigation
- Auditing and reviewing performance
GIC2 – Risk Assessment
This practical unit focuses on identifying hazards, assessing workplace risks and recommending appropriate control measures.
Areas considered include:
- Physical and psychological health
- Musculoskeletal health
- Chemical and biological agents
- General workplace hazards
- Work equipment
- Fire
- Electricity
The syllabus therefore develops both management knowledge and the practical ability to recognise and control workplace risk.
How is the NEBOSH International General Certificate assessed?
The qualification has two assessments.
GIC1 – Management of Health and Safety is assessed through an open-book examination, with an assessment time of approximately five hours.
GIC2 – Risk Assessment is completed through a practical workplace assessment, with approximately four hours allocated to the assessment.
Learners must achieve a pass in both units to achieve the full qualification.
No formal entry requirements
There are no formal entry requirements for the NEBOSH International General Certificate.
However, NEBOSH recommends that learners studying in English have an appropriate standard of written and spoken English, equivalent to approximately IELTS 6.0 or above.
This makes the qualification accessible to people from a wide range of professional backgrounds, whether you are already working in health and safety or looking to move into the profession.
Why choose the International General Certificate?
One of the key benefits of the qualification is its international focus.
It develops core health and safety knowledge that can be applied across different countries, industries and organisations.
This makes it particularly useful for professionals working in sectors such as:
- Construction
- Engineering
- Manufacturing
- Oil and gas
- Energy
- Logistics
- Facilities management
- Defence
- International contracting
For learners looking to work overseas or for multinational organisations, the International General Certificate can help demonstrate recognised health and safety knowledge and professional development.
Benefits for your employer
The qualification does not only benefit the learner.
Employees who develop stronger health and safety knowledge can help their organisation:
- Reduce workplace injuries and ill health
- Improve health and safety culture
- Strengthen internal health and safety expertise
- Support international good practice
- Improve employee morale
- Better identify and manage workplace risks
- Demonstrate a commitment to protecting employees
The NEBOSH materials emphasise that IGC-qualified employees can make a practical contribution to improving workplace health and safety performance.
Progressing your Health & Safety career
Completing the NEBOSH International General Certificate can provide a strong starting point for further professional development.
As your experience grows, you may choose to progress into:
- Specialist NEBOSH qualifications
- Construction health and safety
- Fire safety
- Environmental management
- Higher-level health and safety qualifications
- Professional health and safety roles
The qualification can also support applications for certain professional membership categories. The current NEBOSH learner guide identifies routes including IOSH and IIRSM membership, subject to the relevant membership body’s requirements.
Study with SM Safety Training & Consultancy Ltd
At SM Safety Training & Consultancy Ltd, our focus is on making NEBOSH training practical, engaging and relevant to the real workplace.
We don’t simply want learners to memorise information for an assessment. Our aim is to help you understand how health and safety principles apply in practice and give you the confidence to use that knowledge within your organisation.
Our instructors use practical workplace examples and structured learning to support you throughout your studies.
Whether you are looking to begin a new career in health and safety, strengthen your existing management responsibilities or gain a recognised qualification that supports international opportunities, the NEBOSH International General Certificate can provide an excellent next step.
Build your knowledge. Develop your confidence. Strengthen your international health and safety career.