The qualification is divided into four units:

Unit A – Managing health and safety

Principles of health and safety management

Principles of health and safety law

Criminal law

Civil law

Loss causation and incident investigation

Measuring and reviewing health and safety performance

Assessment and evaluation of risk

Risk control

Organisational factors

Human factors

The role of the health and safety practitioner

Unit B – Hazardous substances / agents

Managing occupational health

Identification, assessment and evaluation of hazardous substances

Control of hazardous substances

Monitoring and measuring of hazardous substances

Biological agents

Noise and vibration

Radiation

Mental ill-health and dealing with violence and aggression at work

Musculoskeletal risks and controls

Work environment risks and controls

Unit C – Workplace and work equipment safety

Workplace welfare requirements and specific workplace issues

Fires and explosions

Workplace fire risk assessment

Storage, handling and processing of hazardous substances

Work equipment

Workplace machinery

Mobile, lifting, access and work at height equipment

Electrical safety

Construction and works of a temporary nature – hazards and controls

Workplace transport and managing work-related road risk

Unit DNI – Application of Health and Safety Theory and Practice

12,000-word workplace-based assignment

Assessment

Three x 3-hour written examinations (Units A, B and C)

12,000-word workplace-based assignment (Unit DNI).

The NEBOSH National Diploma is accredited by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) at level 10 in the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF).  For users in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, this is comparable to a vocationally-related qualification (VRQ) at Level 6 in the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF).  In academic terms, a Level 6 VRQ is comparable to an honours degree.

The NEBOSH National Diploma meets the academic requirements for:

• Graduate membership of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (Grad IOSH).
• Member status (MIIRSM) of the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM).

Assessments are available in English only.

Your standard of English must be such that you can both understand and articulate the concepts contained in the syllabus. 

NEBOSH recommends that non-native speakers undertaking this qualification should have a minimum standard of English equivalent to an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 7.0 or higher in IELTS tests.  For further information please consult the IELTS website: www.ielts.org

When you start the course, we enrol you as a student with NEBOSH. Your initial enrolment period lasts for 5 years. This means that you must pass your first unit within 5 years. If you fail to pass your first unit within 5 years, you will need to re-enrol and pay another registration fee.

When you pass your first unit, your enrolment period is automatically re-set and you have a further 5 years to pass the remaining three units. In other words, your first unit has a shelf-life of 5 years. If you do not pass the remaining three units within 5 years, your first unit will expire and you will have to retake this unit in order to pass the qualification.

Examinations are held each year in January and July on dates set by NEBOSH.  The examinations are held in London and start at 0930. 

The next examination dates are:

Booking your examinations

Your examinations should be booked through your British Safety Council account manager. If you’re not sure of their contact details, email [email protected]

The deadline for booking an examination is 6 weeks prior to the examination date. 

Revision

NEBOSH recommends a minimum of: 

Unit A        85 hours

Unit B        50 hours

Unit C       50 hours

Examination preparation days

We run free examination preparation days prior to the national examination days.  These are ‘live online’ which means that you join a Zoom call remotely using a computer or tablet.  You don’t have to download Zoom software; you can join over the web.  You will be able to see and interact verbally with the tutor and with the rest of the group.

On each day, a tutor goes through a series of past questions with particular emphasis on examination technique. You are strongly advised to attend these days and should come to the day fully revised so that you can practice applying your knowledge and understanding to the questions set.

The next examination preparation days are:

To reserve your place at an examination preparation day, email [email protected]

The Unit DNI assignment requires you to carry out a review of the arrangements for managing health and safety in your workplace and to produce justified, proportionate recommendations to improve health and safety performance.

There are four submission dates each year on the last Wednesdays of February, May, August and November. The next four submission dates are:

25 November 2020

24 February 2021

26 May 2021

25 August 2021

Booking your assignment submission

Your assignment submission should be booked through your British Safety Council account manager.

If you’re not sure of their contact details, email [email protected]

The deadline for booking an assignment submission is 6 weeks prior to the submission date.

Assignment briefing

We run a free half-day Unit DNI assignment briefings in January and July. These are ‘live online’ which means that you join a Zoom call remotely using a computer or tablet.  You don’t have to download Zoom software; you can join over the web.  You will be able to see and interact verbally with the tutor and with the rest of the group.  While it is possible to pass the assignment by following the written guidance, you will stand a much better chance if you attend the briefing.

The next assignment briefings are:

                        January                                               July

Unit DNI           21 January 2021 (0900 – 1230)           22 July 2021 (0900 – 1230)

Students who attend the January briefing normally submit their assignment in May. 

Students who attend the July briefing normally submit their assignment in November.

To reserve your place at an assignment briefing, email [email protected]

Those starting a classroom course in April generally undertake the qualification as follows:

Those starting a classroom course in October generally undertake the qualification as follows:

You can shorten this timescale by completing your Unit DNI assignment earlier.  (Once you’ve completed Unit A, you will have the knowledge and understanding to complete the Unit DNI assignment).

When you join the course, we ask you to enter into the following agreement with us:

The British Safety Council will:

• Use suitably qualified and experienced tutors to deliver the tuition
• Cover all the specification learning outcomes
• Provide or direct you to the information you need to pass the qualification
• Provide you with expert advice on revision and examination technique
• Respond in a timely manner to any queries
• Be diligent and courteous at all times

You must:

• Attend all scheduled sessions
• Contribute to group discussions in a positive manner
• Endeavour to be active, rather than passive in terms of learning
• Complete the required number of revision hours
• Pay particular attention to advice regarding revision and examination technique
• Bring any learning difficulties to our attention at the earliest opportunity

The NEBOSH Learner Terms and Conditions can be found here.

The qualification specification (syllabus) can be found here.

You will receive a hard copy textbook for each of Units A, B and C.

On our portal, you will find the following PDF documents:

NEBOSH resources:

• NEBOSH Learner Terms and Conditions
• Guide to the NEBOSH National Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety (‘Syllabus Guide’)
• Guidance on command words used in learning outcomes and question papers
• Student preparation for written question papers
• Examiners’ reports
• Unit DNI assignment guidance and information for candidates
• Sample Unit DNI assignment
• Marking sheet and feedback for sample Unit DNI assignment

British Safety Council resources:

• PowerPoint slides for each unit (in PDF format)
• Revision sheets for each unit
• Past questions for each unit
• Model answers to select past questions
• Unit DNI assignment guidance

Your tutor will provide support in relation to subject content and assessment preparation.  They can be contacted by telephone, video call or email at any time.

Results are issued 10 weeks after the examination date or assignment submission deadline.

Pass marks and grade boundaries:

Each unit is reported as ‘Pass’ or ‘Refer’. You must pass all four units to achieve the qualification. Unit scores are aggregated as percentages and grades awarded as follows:

Unit and qualification certificates are despatched by NEBOSH within 20 working days of the result notification date.

Should you have any queries, please contact our Education Team ([email protected])

If you are not satisfied with the service provided by your tutor or our Education Team, please contact our Customer Service Team ([email protected]).

You can also refer the matter to NEBOSH ([email protected]).

If you are not satisfied with the service provided by NEBOSH, please contact the Scottish Qualifications Authority ([email protected]).