A one-day practical incident investigation qualification co-developed with the UK Health and Safety Executive, built for supervisors, line managers and H&S leads who run workplace investigations.
Designed for supervisors, line managers, H&S advisers, project HSE leads and team leaders who lead workplace incident investigations, not specialist forensic investigators.
The NEBOSH HSE Introduction to Incident Investigation is a one-day practical qualification co-developed by NEBOSH and the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) . It equips delegates with the methodology to investigate non-complex workplace incidents, gathering evidence, conducting effective witness interviews, identifying root cause and recommending controls that prevent recurrence.
The qualification is delivered as a single unit, INV1 , covering seven topics from why we investigate, through evidence gathering and interview technique, to writing a defensible investigation report. The unique assessment is by case-study video, delegates analyse a recorded interview between an investigator and a witness and identify good and poor practice. There is no written exam.
KeyOstas delivers the NEBOSH incident investigation course as in-company training only , scheduled around your team availability and built around real scenarios from your sector. Pricing is on application, fee quotes are tailored to delegate numbers, location and the kind of incidents your team is likely to investigate. Get a fee quote for your team.
By the end of the NEBOSH HSE Introduction to Incident Investigation you will have a practical toolkit for leading non-complex workplace investigations, gathering evidence, interviewing witnesses, finding root cause and producing a defensible report.
Trigger the right response, assemble the team, scope the investigation and protect the scene under HSWA 1974 and RIDDOR duties.
Apply chain-of-custody discipline to physical, paper and digital evidence; photograph, sketch and map the scene without contaminating it.
Use cognitive interviewing and PEACE-model basics to get to root cause without leading questions or accusatory framing.
Distinguish immediate, underlying and root causes using ILCI loss-causation, causal-tree or fishbone diagrams. Avoid the cognitive traps that stop investigators short.
Apply the hierarchy of controls to your findings; recommend proportionate, defensible actions you can actually implement.
Structure an internal report that drives action and a regulator-ready report (HSE / ORR / EA) that withstands scrutiny.
INV1 SYLLABUS
INV1 is a single-unit, one-day qualification with seven topics, co-developed with Great Britain Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The syllabus is built around real workplace investigation scenarios, gathering evidence, interviewing witnesses without shutting them down, finding root cause, and recommending controls that actually prevent recurrence.
The HSE Introduction to Incident Investigation is a focused 1-day skills course, designed to equip the people most likely to lead a workplace investigation. The General Certificate is the broad H&S foundation; the Diploma is the senior-practitioner route. Many delegates take the Investigation course alongside or after a General Cert.
Best for: Supervisors, line managers, H&S advisers and team leaders likely to be involved in incident investigations
Best for: H&S advisers, line managers and anyone moving into H&S
Best for: Senior H&S practitioners and aspiring CMIOSH
WHO TAKES THIS COURSE
The course supports anyone likely to be the first responder to a workplace incident, supervisors, line managers, project HSE leads and H&S advisers. It also serves as practical CPD evidence for chartered safety practitioners keeping investigation skills current.
Roles the course is built for
Where it pays off
The investigation methodology is most valuable when delegates run a real investigation soon after, KeyOstas tutors offer post-course support if your team needs it.
Suitable for delegates across all UK sectors, construction, rail, utilities, manufacturing, healthcare, retail, public sector and tech operations.
ASSESSMENT
There is no written exam . Assessment is by case-study video, delegates watch a recorded interview between an investigator and a witness, then identify good and poor practice. The format tests applied judgement on the kind of investigation work delegates will actually do back at site.
Format: Watch a NEBOSH-set case-study film of an investigator-witness interview and identify good and poor practice
Duration: Completed alongside the 1-day course - no separate exam day
What you produce: Written analysis identifying interviewing strengths, weaknesses and recommended improvements
Marking: Set and marked by NEBOSH; pass / not yet competent
Results: Typically returned within 24 working days; certificate issued within 20 working days of confirmation
Resit: If marked not yet competent, you can rework and resubmit through your KeyOstas tutor
Every KeyOstas tutor has led real RIDDOR-reportable workplace investigations across construction, rail, utilities and manufacturing, not career trainers.
Every KeyOstas tutor has led real RIDDOR-reportable workplace investigations across construction, rail, utilities and manufacturing, not career trainers.
The case-study video format is unusual, we run live witness-interview role-plays so delegates feel the difference between a leading question and a cognitive interview.
KeyOstas brings the NEBOSH Investigation course to your site, scheduled around shift patterns and project demands.
Post-course support that keeps the methodology embedded, not just a certificate handed over.
After two near-misses on our Tier-1 rail project, we sent our HSE team and three site supervisors through KeyOstas's NEBOSH Introduction to Incident Investigation. The video case-study assessment is genuinely useful, our delegates now run interviews that get to root cause without the witness shutting down. We've embedded the technique in our weekly toolbox talks since.
James Mitchell
SHEQ Manager, Tideway Civils & Engineering, Birmingham
Top-tier accreditation status with NEBOSH, the recognised mark for centres meeting the highest delivery and learner-outcome standards.
Top-tier accreditation status with NEBOSH, the recognised mark for centres meeting the highest delivery and learner-outcome standards.
One of NEBOSH's longest-standing accredited centres, centre number 009, trading and training since 1984.
Our tutors have led real RIDDOR-reportable workplace investigations across construction, rail, utilities and manufacturing, they coach the case-study assessment live in the room.
Bring NEBOSH Investigation training to your team UK-wide and international in-company delivery, typically a 1-day workshop for 6 to 15 delegates per cohort.
Co-developed with HSE The only NEBOSH investigation qualification built directly with the UK Health and Safety Executive, the regulator that responds to the incidents you investigate.
Day to deliver Designed as a single in-company day with no separate exam date, your team is back at work the next morning.
UK investigation skills certificate The benchmark NEBOSH certification on workplace incident investigation methodology, recognised across all UK sectors.
Speak to a senior NEBOSH tutor about your situation, study mode and start dates.
Talk to a tutor →Or talk to a tutor: 0330 056 9534
Last reviewed: April 2026, content checked against the NEBOSH INV1 syllabus guide v1.1 (Oct 2023).
