Which NEBOSH course for me?

Which level NEBOSH course?

With three levels to choose from, booking your NEBOSH course could not be easier, as no matter where you are in your health and safety career, there is a course that with suit you.

The first level to examine is the diploma course. This is the longest of all the NEBOSH qualifications available and is also the highest level. The diploma level course is often aimed at occupational health and safety professionals, that need both the breadth and depth of expertise to be successful in their posts. 

The diploma level is available as either a national, international or environmental course. The national and international NEBOSH training diplomas are general health and safety qualifications that cover four units of learning. Included in these four units are managing health and safety, specific hazards, workplace and equipment safety and a practical application module. NEBOSH are well known for their practical application modules, which are present in both the diploma and certificate level courses. These modules allow candidates to apply the knowledge and understanding that they have learnt in the course, to a real world situation, usually their own place of employment. This condenses their knowledge and proves to their employers that the NEBOSH course is directly applicable to their field. 

Diploma courses are available to book module by module, helping the candidate spread the cost of learning and making it easier fro them to fit study time in around their schedule and home life commitments. 

The next qualification available is NEBOSH Certificate Training. This is offered as a general national or international course, or in specific subjects such as environmental, construction, fire, oil and gas and health and well being at work. The difference between the general and subject specific courses is that the latter are designed to address all the key concerns within their given field. For example the NEBOSH fire certificate covers fire safety and risk management which includes principles of fire and explosion, causes and prevention of fire, fire protection in building and protection of people in fire. 

The NEBOSH Construction course covers construction law and management, construction site hazards and controls, vehicle and plant movement, musculoskeletal hazards and control, work equipment electrical safety, fire safety, chemical and biological hazards, physical and psychological health, working at heights, excavation and demolition. 

The NEBOSH environmental course includes foundations in environmental management, environmental management systems, environmental impact assessment, control of emission to air, control of contamination of water resources, control of waste and land use, sources and use of energy and energy efficiency, control of environmental noise and planning and dealing with environmental emergencies. 

The NEBOSH health and wellbeing at work course includes an introduction to workplace health, effect son health on work, effects of work on health, management of attendance, management of mental health at work, management of people with musculoskeletal disorders, workplace health promotion and workplace health support. 

While the NEBOSH oil and gas certificate includes: Health safety and the environment, hydrocarbon process safety, fire protection and emergency response and logistics and transport operations. However many of the specific NEBOSH certificates do share the initial NGC1 managing health and safety module with the general and other specific courses. 

Courses that include this module are national general, national fire and national construction. This means that candidates that have completed the NGC1 module already do not have to repeat this if they take another course (time limits apply). The other NEBOSH course available is the award level course. This is designed for those just starting out on their health and safety career. 

There are two award level courses available, health and safety at work and health safety and the environment. Both are short signle day courses, that provide an introduction to occupational health and safety concerns and a great starting point to begin your NEBOSH learning journey. 

Another current issue surrounding NEBOSH courses is whether to complete them in a traditional classroom setting or as a distance learning option? 

A classroom setting may suit those who learn better through discussion and group work, and those that wish to get the course completed within a set amount of time. This is because classroom courses often run on consecutive days, with the exams and practical assignments (if applicable) close the end of the course. The main advantages of a classroom course are that candidates benefit from having a NEBOSH qualified tutor on hand at all times, group discussion and the opportunity to ask questions as they go along. 

However it is possible to save money, and fit your study in with your own schedule by doing a distance learning course. A distance learning course is where the candidate receives all of the course materials and works through them at their own pace. Then can then choose to be entered in for the exam when they feel ready (restrictions from the trainer, do apply, don’t for get to ask about these when booking your course). The great thing about the distance learning course is that you can devote more time to your weaker areas that you could in a classroom situation. However the distance learning course is best for those that work alone and can self motivate. Although there is plenty of online support available in the form of social media groups and email and telephone support from tutors, set up by the training providers. Distance learning is available for most certificate level and diploma level courses.