The NEBOSH General Certificate is a Level 3 vocational qualification in occupational health and safety, awarded by NEBOSH in the UK. It’s equivalent to an A Level in academic terms, takes around 80–120 hours of study, and is assessed through an open-book exam (NG1) plus a workplace risk assessment (NG2). It’s the standard entry-level qualification for safety officer, advisor and coordinator roles in the UK and is recognised in over 130 countries. Around 230,000 people worldwide hold this certificate.
If you’ve heard of “the NEBOSH General Certificate” — or “the NEBOSH” for short — and you want to know what it actually is before deciding whether to take it, this guide is for you. We’ve kept it short and plain-English. For more detail on how the qualification works in practice — the assessment, the syllabus, the careers — see our longer complete guide to the NEBOSH General Certificate.
The full name is the NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety. People shorten it to “NEBOSH GC,” “the General Certificate,” or just “the NEBOSH.” All four refer to the same qualification.
It’s:
If you’re not sure what NEBOSH is as an organisation, see our guide to what NEBOSH is.
The qualification splits into two units, each assessed separately:
| Unit | Focus | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| NG1 | Management of health and safety — legal framework, risk assessment principles, management systems, incident investigation, safety culture | 24-hour open-book exam (online) |
| NG2 | Risk assessment in practice — identify hazards in a real workplace, evaluate them, recommend controls | Workplace-based written report |
You need to pass both units to be awarded the full certificate. You can sit them independently within a 5-year window. NG1 is typically taken first.
The syllabus has been updated several times since the General Certificate launched in 1980, most recently in 2023. The current version reflects up-to-date UK regulations and modern health and safety practice. The open-book format used today was introduced in 2020.
Four typical learners:
You don’t need any prior qualification to enrol. NEBOSH recommends English at IELTS 6.0 level or equivalent, because both NG1 and NG2 require substantial written answers.
Total study time is around 80 to 120 hours, including teaching time and self-study. How that translates to elapsed time depends on the format you choose:
Block release is intense but fast. Distance learning fits around full-time work but takes longer.
Three concrete career outcomes:
The NEBOSH General Certificate is the standard minimum requirement for Health and Safety Officer, Advisor and Coordinator roles in the UK. It appears as a required or preferred qualification on most safety job listings.
UK salaries for NEBOSH-qualified safety officers currently run from around £28,000 (entry-level) to £45,000 (experienced). London and the South East tend to pay 10–15% above national averages.
NEBOSH General Certificate holders are eligible to apply for Technical Membership of IOSH (Tech IOSH) — a useful credential to add to your CV alongside the certificate itself.
The qualification also opens the path to the NEBOSH National Diploma — a Level 6 qualification (honours degree equivalent) typically required for senior safety roles like Head of Safety or HSEQ Manager.
The two qualifications most commonly compared with the NEBOSH General Certificate:
IOSH Managing Safely is a 3–4 day awareness course for line managers. The NEBOSH General Certificate is a 10-day Level 3 qualification for people pursuing safety as a career. They serve different audiences. See our NEBOSH vs IOSH guide for the full comparison.
The NEBOSH National General Certificate covers UK law and regulatory practice. The International General Certificate (IGC) covers ILO conventions and international good practice rather than any single country’s legislation. If you’re working in the UK, take the National. If you’re working internationally, take the IGC. The structure, depth and study time are equivalent.
The assessment format trips up some candidates because it’s not what they expect:
You receive a workplace scenario and around 11 questions. You have 24 hours to complete and submit your answers using any reference materials you choose. After submission, you’ll be invited to a closing interview where a NEBOSH-appointed examiner asks you to explain your answers.
The format is “open-book” but the questions are designed so they cannot be answered by quoting course material — the exam tests applied judgement, not the ability to look things up. We’ve covered this in detail in our guide to passing the NEBOSH NG1 open book exam and the NEBOSH closing interview guide.
You select a workplace, identify hazards, evaluate risks, recommend controls, and produce a written report. Most learners take three to four weeks to complete NG2 alongside other commitments.
NEBOSH publishes overall first-time pass rates around 60–70% for the General Certificate globally. Pass rates vary considerably between Learning Partners — quality of teaching, exam preparation, and support all influence the outcome. KeyOstas’s first-time pass rate runs at 85% or above, well over the national average.
It’s a Level 3 qualification on the UK Regulated Qualifications Framework — equivalent to an A Level in academic terms, or Level 6 SCQF in Scotland. Total study time is around 80–120 hours.
It’s harder than awareness-level qualifications like IOSH Managing Safely, but it’s not academically demanding in the way a degree is. Most learners pass first time with proper preparation. The most common reason for failing NG1 is treating the open-book exam as easier than it is.
No formal entry requirements. NEBOSH recommends English at IELTS 6.0 level or equivalent, because both units involve substantial written answers. There’s no minimum age or required prior qualification.
NG1 is the first unit (Management of Health and Safety) — the theoretical assessment. NG2 is the second unit (Risk Assessment) — the practical workplace project. The “NG” stands for “NEBOSH General.”
No. Once you’ve passed both NG1 and NG2, the qualification is yours permanently. There’s no renewal requirement, though continuing professional development is expected if you become a Tech IOSH member.
Yes. Online options range from self-paced video courses through to live virtual classroom delivery with a tutor. KeyOstas offers virtual classroom delivery alongside in-person and on-site options. Pass rates tend to be higher with tutor-led delivery than with self-study video courses.
Yes. NEBOSH qualifications are recognised in over 130 countries. The National version focuses on UK law specifically; the International version (IGC) is designed for non-UK workplaces. Both are widely accepted by international employers.
If the NEBOSH General Certificate sounds like the right qualification for you, you can see current course dates, full pricing and what’s included on our NEBOSH National General Certificate course page.
For more detail on how the qualification works — assessment depth, syllabus content, career outcomes — see the longer complete guide to the NEBOSH General Certificate. Or call us on +44 (0) 3300 569534 if you’d rather talk it through.
KeyOstas is a NEBOSH Gold Learning Partner (Centre 009) — the highest tier NEBOSH offers. We’ve been delivering NEBOSH qualifications since 1984: 41 years of experience taking learners through the General Certificate.
