A specialist process safety qualification co-developed with the UK Health and Safety Executive, built for engineers, HSE managers and contractors on COMAH and high-hazard sites.
Designed for process safety engineers, HSE managers, plant operators with safety responsibility, and contractors working on COMAH and high-hazard sites who need a defensible, employer-recognised process safety qualification.
The NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Process Safety Management , also known as the NEBOSH PSM Certificate, is the UK benchmark process safety qualification, co-developed with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) . It is held by process safety engineers, HSE managers and contractors working on COMAH and upper-tier sites across oil & gas, petrochemicals, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, refining, nuclear and water treatment.
The qualification is delivered as a single unit, PSM1 , covering four syllabus elements: process safety management, managing process risk, process safety hazard control, and fire protection and emergency response. Teaching draws on major-accident case studies including Buncefield, Texas City and Piper Alpha, and the syllabus is built on published HSE guidance.
NEBOSH Process Safety Management training has become the recognised entry point for COMAH duty-holders and Tier-1 contractors moving into specialist process safety roles. KeyOstas delivers the qualification as bespoke in-company training only. No public dates are scheduled because the course is delivered privately for teams, with dates arranged around your operations: at your site, including COMAH-regulated sites, or by live virtual classroom, UK-wide, by our own employed trainers. Business bookings can pay by invoice. Fee quotes are built around delegate numbers, your facility and the sector-specific scenarios your team needs covered, so get in touch for a tailored estimate.
By the end of the NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Process Safety Management you will have the technical depth and the practical confidence to lead process safety on a high-hazard site, from a single-stream COMAH operator to a Tier-1 EPC contractor.
Apply HAZOP, HAZID and FMEA techniques to identify major-accident hazards on process plants and produce a defensible safety case for COMAH duty-holders.
Recognise process hazards from flammable atmospheres, runaway reactions, hot work and energy isolation, and prescribe a layered control strategy aligned to ALARP.
Match independent protection layers, safety instrumented systems (SIS) and SIL-rated controls to the major-accident risk profile of your plant under IEC 61511.
Apply the HSE Process Safety Leadership Principles to drive board-level accountability, leading indicators and process safety KPIs across operations.
Run a credible Management of Change process, asset integrity programme (RBI, ageing plant) and pre-startup safety reviews aligned to the Energy Institute PSM Framework.
Demonstrate compliance with COMAH duties, Safety Reports, MAPP and ALARP justification, and confidently support an HSE intervention or competent authority audit.
PSM1 SYLLABUS
PSM1 is a single unit with four syllabus elements, co-developed with the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and built on published HSE guidance: process safety management (leadership, management of change, competence and consultation); managing process risk (risk assessment techniques, asset integrity, permit-to-work, shift handover and contractor management); process safety hazard control (operating procedures, safe start-up and shutdown, performance standards for safety-critical systems, and the hazards of steam, electricity, dangerous substances and chemical reactions); and fire protection and emergency response (fire, explosion and dust-explosion control and emergency plans). Teaching uses real major-accident case studies including Buncefield, Texas City and Piper Alpha.
The NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Process Safety Management is a focused specialist add-on for high-hazard industries, credit-rated at SCQF Level 7 (comparable to RQF Level 4), a level above the General Certificate and the only NEBOSH certificate co-developed with the HSE. Most delegates take it after the General Certificate, or alongside Diploma study, when they move into a process safety or COMAH-facing role.
Best for: Process safety engineers, HSE managers and contractors on COMAH / high-hazard sites
Best for: H&S advisers, line managers and anyone moving into H&S
Best for: Senior H&S practitioners and aspiring CMIOSH
CAREER OUTCOMES & UK SALARIES
The NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Process Safety Management opens specialist roles across UK high-hazard industries, oil & gas, petrochemicals, chemicals, pharma, refining, nuclear and water treatment. Many delegates take it after the General Certificate as the recognised process safety specialism for COMAH-facing roles.
Typical job titles
UK earning potential
Indicative UK ranges. Senior major-hazards roles in oil & gas regularly exceed £100k base; contract day rates £550–£800/day.
Salary indicators based on Reed.co.uk, Indeed UK and the Energy Institute salary survey, April 2026. Top-hiring sectors: refining (Stanlow, Lindsey, Pembroke, Fawley, Humber), petrochemicals (Teesside, Grangemouth, Wilton), pharmaceuticals (GSK, AstraZeneca, Pfizer UK), specialty chemicals (INEOS, Synthomer, Croda), distilleries, nuclear (Sellafield, EDF) and Tier-1 EPC contractors.
ASSESSMENT
PSM1 is the single unit of the qualification, assessed by one online multiple-choice examination, set and marked by NEBOSH. The paper has 40 questions, 10 of them extended scenario questions drawn from plant-realistic situations, and covers every syllabus element.
Format: 40 multiple-choice questions, including 10 extended scenario questions, set and marked by NEBOSH
Duration: 90 minutes (closed book)
Pass mark: 60%
Sittings: Monthly fixed-date examinations; start any time within a 24-hour window
Results: Within 15 working days
Resits: Resit PSM1 at a later monthly assessment date (no need to re-attend the course)
Every KeyOstas PSM tutor is a working process safety practitioner with real COMAH, HAZOP and major-accident experience to bring to the room, not a career trainer.
Every KeyOstas PSM tutor is a working process safety practitioner with real COMAH, HAZOP and major-accident experience to bring to the room, not a career trainer.
Structured pre-exam coaching to get your delegates ready for the multiple-choice PSM1 paper, drawing on real major-accident scenarios from your sector.
KeyOstas brings the NEBOSH PSM Certificate to your COMAH or upper-tier site, scheduled around shift patterns and turnaround windows.
Post-exam support that keeps delegates progressing, not just a certificate handed over and forgotten.
The NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Process Safety Management was exactly what our team needed. Delivered on-site by KeyOstas, the course worked through Buncefield and Texas City in real depth and gave our process engineers a framework they could actually apply to our PHA reviews and bow-tie analyses. All four of our delegates passed first time, and our COMAH safety report has tightened up as a direct result.
Mark Webster
Process Safety Lead, Northgate Petrochemicals Ltd, Humberside
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 PSM tutors are working oil & gas, chemicals or pharma process safety engineers, not career trainers. They bring real COMAH experience to the room.
Bring NEBOSH PSM to your site UK-wide and international in-company delivery, typically 4-day intensive, 6 to 12 delegates per cohort. Pricing on application, fee quotes built around delegate numbers and site requirements.
Co-developed with HSE The only NEBOSH process safety qualification built directly with the UK Health and Safety Executive, the regulator that investigates major-accident hazards.
UK refineries trained Delegates from every major UK refining cluster, Stanlow, Lindsey, Pembroke, Fawley, Humber and Phillips 66, have completed NEBOSH PSM training.
UK process safety certificate The benchmark process safety qualification for COMAH duty-holders, recognised across oil & gas, chemicals, pharma, refining and nuclear sectors.
Speak to a senior NEBOSH tutor about your situation, study mode and start dates.
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