NEBOSH General or NEBOSH Construction Certificate?

NEBOSH certificates are among the most recognised health and safety qualifications in the UK, and the two people ask us about most are the General Certificate and the Construction Certificate. They share a level of study and a style of assessment, but they're written for different workplaces. Picking the right one comes down to where you work now and where you want your career to go.

The short answer

• NEBOSH General Certificate: health and safety management in any workplace. A good fit for managers and supervisors in manufacturing, logistics, facilities, the public sector and offices, and for anyone starting a health and safety career.
• NEBOSH Construction Certificate: health and safety management in construction, built around CDM 2015. A good fit for site managers, contracts managers and construction health and safety advisors.

If your working life is spent on construction sites, choose Construction. If it isn't, or you want the widest choice of future roles, choose General.

NEBOSH General Certificate

The full name is the NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety. NEBOSH describes it as suitable for managers, supervisors and anyone with health and safety management responsibilities, as well as people starting out in health and safety.

• Study time: NEBOSH sets a minimum of 66 taught hours plus about 40 hours of private study. A fast-track course can be completed in ten working days.
• Assessment: two parts, both set by NEBOSH: an open-book, scenario-based exam taken online, followed by a short interview about your submission, and a practical risk assessment of a workplace with an action plan.
• Professional membership: NEBOSH says holders can join IOSH as Affiliate members, and that the certificate meets the academic requirement for Technical Membership (Tech IOSH), with appropriate experience.

NEBOSH Construction Certificate

NEBOSH now calls the current version of this qualification Health and Safety Management for Construction (UK). You'll still see the older name, the National Certificate in Construction Health and Safety, used widely.

• Who it's for: NEBOSH lists construction site managers, contracts managers, site workers with health and safety responsibilities and construction health and safety advisors.
• What it covers: it's aligned to CDM 2015, including the duties of the six CDM roles, and covers common construction hazards such as work at height, excavations and demolition, safe systems of work, incident investigation and managing contractors.
• Study time: a minimum of 70 taught hours plus about 40 hours of private study.
• Assessment: a single open-book exam based on a realistic construction scenario. You have 48 hours to download, complete and submit it, and it's marked by an examiner appointed by NEBOSH.
• CSCS: NEBOSH says holders of the UK qualification are eligible to apply for the CSCS Academically Qualified Person card. You'll still need to pass the relevant HS&E test; check the CSCS card finder for current rules.

The Construction Certificate stands alone, so units from other NEBOSH qualifications can't be counted towards it. If you already hold the General Certificate and move into construction, you'd take the Construction Certificate in full.

Side by side

Is NEBOSH the right choice at all?

NEBOSH is a substantial qualification. If you manage a construction site and a principal contractor wants proof of training, they'll usually ask for SMSTS rather than NEBOSH; our guide to SMSTS, NEBOSH or IOSH Managing Safely explains the difference. If you manage a team outside construction and want something shorter, IOSH Managing Safely runs over three days.

Looking further ahead? People who go on to a full-time health and safety career often build on a NEBOSH certificate with a Level 6 qualification, such as the Level 6 NVQ in Occupational Health and Safety Practice, which is assessed on your work as a practitioner.

How long does a NEBOSH certificate last?

NEBOSH certificates don't expire. That said, the law and guidance move on, and many employers expect people in health and safety roles to keep up with changes through continuing professional development. If you hold an older certificate and you're applying for a construction safety role, be ready to show what you've done since.

Tutor-led online or distance learning?

We offer both certificates two ways.

Live online with a tutor

The NEBOSH General Certificate and NEBOSH Construction Certificate run live online over ten days on fixed dates, taught in real time by a tutor. It suits people who learn best with a timetable, a group to discuss scenarios with and someone to ask straight away. Our guide to how live online courses work covers the set-up you'll need.

Distance learning at your own pace

Prefer to fit study around shifts and site work? The General Certificate by distance learning and the Construction Certificate by distance learning let you start any day and work through the material in your own time, with a tutor to contact when you need help. You'll need the discipline to keep going without a fixed timetable.

Where to take it

Because both routes are online, you can study from anywhere around Sheffield, Doncaster or Chesterfield without travelling. If your employer has several people to train, NEBOSH and IOSH courses can also be arranged in-house. Our page on health and safety courses in Sheffield shows the next live online dates alongside local CITB classroom courses.