Difference Between IOSH and NEBOSH

What are IOSH and NEBOSH?

Well, they are both similar in the sense that they are awarding organisations that provide syllabuses and criteria for well respected and widely recognised qualifications. Both offer a range of qualifications, aimed at different levels and a range of industries, although NEBOSH does have some more specifically focussed industry courses.

The main difference between the two is that IOSH is also a membership organisation, the largest health and safety professional membership organisation as it goes. The main difference for you though will be in the qualifications, and you should find the qualification that suits your needs most, which won’t really come down to the awarding body.

IOSH membership

NEBOSH doesn’t offer membership, so if you’re looking to join a membership organisation where you can network, keep up to date with health and safety, and gain advice and expertise then IOSH is probably your best option. It brings with it plenty of benefits but how much you can benefit really depends on your situation and career goals, take a look at this article for some more information, and if you’re interested, get in touch with the team at IOSH.

It’s also worth mentioning that, while anyone can become an IOSH member, to get higher levels of membership such as Associate or Technical membership you need to have a health and safety qualification. They accept quite a few different qualifications, and you can find a list here, the NEBOSH National Certificate is one of them, and with 92% of job roles asking for either the NEBOSH qualification, IOSH membership or both, it could be worth using the NEBOSH for your membership.

Qualifications

Both organisations offer a range of qualifications, NEBOSH seem to have more because they have qualifications targetted at a National and International level as well as at specific industries. IOSH, however, target qualifications more to the level you are in a business, regardless of industry. IOSH will approve bespoke courses for training providers though, so if you see a course offered by a provider not listed here they may have created it themselves and asked IOSH to approve it.

NEBOSH Qualifications

­Award in Health and Safety at Work
Health, Safety and Environment in the Process Industries Qualification
Environmental Awareness at Work Qualification
National General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety
National Certificate in Construction Health and Safety
International Certificate in Construction Health and Safety
National Certificate in Fire Safety and Risk Management
International General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety
Certificate in Environmental Management
International Technical Certificate in Oil and Gas Process Safety
National Certificate in Management of Health and Well-being at work
International Certificate in Fire Safety and Risk Management
National Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety
International Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety
National Diploma In Environmental Management
International Diploma in Environmental Management

IOSH Qualifications

Working Safely
Managing Safely
Managing Safely Refresher
Leading Safely
Fire Safety Awareness
Fire Safety for Managers
Environment for Business
Safety and Health for Business

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