What is the difference between IOSH and NEBOSH?

NEBOSH (National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health) is an independent board of examination based in the United Kingdom that provides syllabuses and assessment criteria for both nationally and internationally recognised occupational health and safety certifications. NEBOSH courses are delivered by NEBOSH accredited course providers.

IOSH (Institution of Occupational Safety and Health) is a world leader in health and safety course development and the largest health and safety professional membership organisation globally. Like NEBOSH, IOSH does not deliver their own courses, but rather make them available to IOSH approved course providers such as ITonlinelearning.

Which courses are available?

• NEBOSH Courses

• NEBOSH National/International General Certificate

The General Certificate place strong emphasis on managerial issues that include safety management systems and assessment of risk as well as the identification of common hazards and how they will be controlled. This includes the handling of electricity, fire, chemicals etc.

• NEBOSH National/International Diploma

This diploma has a strong focus on the implementation and management of a safety management system within an organisation and students have a choice between studying either for a national or international diploma.

• NEBOSH Environmental Certificate

During this course, the focus lies on UK law as far as the management of environmental issues are concerned. This will also lay a foundation of skills and knowledge towards study of the Environmental Diploma.

• NEBOSH Environmental Diploma

The emphasis of this certification lies in the responsibility of managing the environmental impact that work activities will have. There is also focus on the development of an effective environmental management system within an organisation.

• NEBOSH Oil & Gas Certificate

The hazards of working with oil and gas come to the fore during this course with students learning about international standards and management systems regarding oil and gas safety. This concerns both on- and offshore activities.

• NEBOSH National/International Fire Certificate

This course teaches the international and European best practices concerning fire risk assessment reviews and the preventative measures that are to be taken regarding fire risks in the workplace.

• NEBOSH National/International Construction Certificate

This course gives students the option of studying for either the national or international certification and focuses on risk assessment, safety management systems and general fire, chemical and work equipment issues within international legislation.

• NEBOSH Health & Well-being Certificate

This certification focuses on the identification of health and safety risks in the workplace, dealing with mental illness at work, working with health professionals and the identification of health and well-being issues.

• IOSH Courses

• IOSH Leading Safely

The Leading Safely course teaches the value of safety and health precautions, integrating health and safety into the organisation’s business management system, health and safety responsibilities, planning and reviewing of health and safety performance.

• IOSH Managing Safely

This course emphasises the importance of risk and hazard assessment, understanding health and safety responsibilities, investigation of incidents, measuring performance and measuring performance against best practice.

• IOSH Working Safely

During this course, students will learn to define and identify risks and hazards and how to effectively improve the overall safety performance in the workplace by changing everyday behaviours.

Certification Quality

Certifications acquired from either NEBOSH or IOSH are considered to be of the highest quality and will certainly be a very good addition to any CV. The course content is of a high standard, ensuring that students gain the correct skills and knowledge to evaluate and implement health and safety standards within their organisations across an array of industries and in keeping with the appropriate legislation.

The Importance of Certification

Occupational health and safety is a vital part of any organisation as employees need to be assured that they are safe in the workplace. When conditions are not ideal it can detract from work that needs to be done, cause an increase in sick days taken and create an environment where employees feel unsafe whilst at work.

Those that are working in a health and safety career and are responsible for standards in an organisation need to be informed of the consequences that may arise due to a lack of proper preparation and implementation of procedure as far as health and safety is concerned. A poorly designed health and safety management system can end up costing the company a lot of money if not remedied as lawsuits and fines may be issued. Therefore, ensuring that your Health and Safety officer is certified is an investment that will not only benefit those that work around you, but your organisation as a whole.