The short answer
Take IOSH Managing Safely if you manage people and need to handle risk in your own team. Take the NEBOSH International General Certificate (IGC) if you want to work in health and safety, for example as a safety officer or HSE adviser, or if you are responsible for safety across a whole site.
Side by side
- Who it is for: IOSH Managing Safely is built for line managers and supervisors in any sector. NEBOSH IGC is built for people with wider safety responsibility and those starting a safety career.
- Length: IOSH Managing Safely is typically a three-day course of about 21–24 hours. NEBOSH IGC has about 112 notional learning hours across its two units.
- Level: NEBOSH IGC sits at SCQF level 6, equivalent to RQF level 3. IOSH Managing Safely is an introductory course for managers.
- Assessment: IOSH uses a closed-book paper of multiple-choice, true/false and short-answer questions, plus a workplace risk-assessment project. NEBOSH uses a scenario-based open-book exam (GIC1) and a practical risk assessment of a real workplace (GIC2).
- Expiry: IOSH states the Managing Safely certificate does not expire. For NEBOSH, you must pass both units within five years of your first successful unit.
How NEBOSH IGC is assessed (2025 syllabus)
NEBOSH replaced the old IG1/IG2 units with GIC1 and GIC2 under a 2025 specification of 11 elements. GIC1 (Management of health and safety) is an online open-book exam: you get 24 hours from 11am UK time on the exam date to complete and submit it, followed by a closing interview. Its provisional pass mark is 45%, and it sets your grade: Distinction 75%+, Credit 65–74%, Pass 45–64%.
GIC2 (Risk assessment) is a practical risk assessment of a real workplace, marked out of 100 with a pass mark of 60. It must cover hazards from at least five different categories.
How IOSH Managing Safely is assessed
The course has seven modules: Introducing Managing Safely, Assessing risks, Controlling risks, Understanding your responsibilities, Understanding hazards, Investigating incidents and Measuring performance. Approved providers report that the end-of-course paper is marked out of 60 with a pass mark of 36, and the risk-assessment project is marked out of 38 with a pass mark of 23. You must pass both.
Can you do both?
Yes, and many people do. IOSH Managing Safely is a common first step for managers, and NEBOSH IGC builds on the same core ideas: hazard versus risk, risk assessment, the hierarchy of control, and active versus reactive monitoring.
Practise before you sit
Check your syllabus knowledge with a free NEBOSH IGC practice test covering all 11 GIC elements, or an IOSH Managing Safely practice test covering all seven modules. Both explain every answer. See every safety exam on the workplace safety certification practice tests page.
Frequently asked questions
Is NEBOSH or IOSH better?
Neither is better in general; they serve different people. IOSH Managing Safely suits managers who need to run their own team safely, while NEBOSH IGC is the deeper qualification usually expected for safety officer and HSE adviser roles.
Is NEBOSH IGC harder than IOSH Managing Safely?
Yes. NEBOSH IGC has about 112 notional hours, an open-book scenario exam and a practical risk assessment, while IOSH Managing Safely is a three-day course with a closed-book paper and a risk-assessment project.
Does the IOSH Managing Safely certificate expire?
No. IOSH states the Managing Safely certificate does not expire, though it offers a one-day refresher course.
What is the NEBOSH IGC pass mark?
GIC1 has a provisional pass mark of 45%, and GIC2 has a pass mark of 60 out of 100. Your overall grade (Distinction, Credit or Pass) comes from your GIC1 result.