IOSH or NEBOSH? Which Health & Safety Certificate Should I Choose?

With over 90% of health and safety-related roles requiring health and safety training through IOSH or NEBOSH qualifications, it’s essential to make sure you choose the right course and gain the right accreditation for you.

While IOSH and NEBOSH have some similarities and both are valuable, there are several key differences. It’s important to understand these before you commit to a training route and course provider.

IOSH, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, is a world-leading, not-for-profit, independent developer of certificated safety and health training courses. They offer courses for individuals and organisations at all levels and are suitable for employees who may encounter risk in their day-to-day working life, as well as health and safety professionals and experts.

The three key categories offered by IOSH are Leading Safely, Managing Safely and Working Safely.

NEBOSH, the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health, is a charitable awarding body that implements health and safety policies across the globe. NEBOSH provides candidates with an in-depth, comprehensive understanding of health and safety management and compliance within the workplace. 

IOSH is the only chartered body for health and safety professionals. This means that, unlike NEBOSH, they offer a membership structure.

The NEBOSH General Certificate is aimed at candidates who already have a career within the sector but want to move into health and safety management roles.

IOSH is aimed more at non-health and safety staff who want to secure or enhance qualifications within their role.  Its focus is to train candidates to a management-level understanding of safety responsibilities and how to recognise and control risk and hazards in the workplace. IOSH is recommended, particularly, for those who have no prior knowledge or experience of health and safety.

Another key difference is in the way the courses are structured. NEBOSH courses tend to be more comprehensive and in-depth but take longer, while IOSH training takes a modular approach and can be completed over a shorter period.

IOSH is the world’s biggest professional health and safety membership body and has over 48,000 members worldwide.

There are five categories of IOSH membership:

Membership of IOSH comes with a number of benefits:

Coursesonline.co.uk offer a range of both IOSH courses and NEBOSH courses.

IOSH Managing Safely 

This accredited course is for staff in a line management, supervisory or team leader role in any size of organisation in any sector. It is a basic risk management health and safety certificate which will offer managers an understanding of the practical actions needed for the health and safety of their teams.

The course features include:

The course is assessed through a 45-minute multiple choice test consisting of 30 questions.

IOSH Managing Safely – Including Exam

The IOSH Managing Safely eLearning Including Exam course is aimed at staff who need to review safety systems, introduce new safety measures, and oversee their implementation. The course is structured across eight units. Candidates will achieve a level 2 certificate.

The most common NEBOSH course is the NEBOSH General Certificate, which focuses on providing candidates with a solid understanding of occupational health and safety. It is suitable for working in all sectors and teaches risk assessment and how to manage and counter those risks.

The course is assessed through two, two-hour written papers (NGC1 and GC2) and one practical inspection report (GC3).

Other NEBOSH courses available with coursesonline.co.uk are:

Both IOSH and NEBOSH qualifications offer a huge range of benefits and will help you and your organisation secure a firm safety culture. 

It’s worth taking an in-depth look at the different syllabuses on offer and checking that the training provider you choose is appropriately licensed. 

Ready to explore your options for health and safety qualifications?  Explore our Work Health and Safety courses today!