Major Revisions to IOSH and NEBOSH Qualifications

Health and safety professionals across the United Kingdom and Ireland are seeing significant updates to prominent qualifications from the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) and the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH). These revisions, rolling out progressively throughout 2024, 2025, and 2026, aim to ensure that training remains current, relevant, and aligned with evolving workplace risks, legislative changes, and best practices in occupational health and safety.

IOSH Managing Safely: Enhanced Focus on Modern Workplace Challenges

The flagship IOSH Managing Safely course, a widely recognised qualification for managers and supervisors, is undergoing a refresh with an enhanced focus on contemporary issues. While core principles of risk assessment and control remain central, the updated syllabus places greater emphasis on:

  • Mental Health and Wellbeing: Recognising the growing importance of psychological safety, the course will delve deeper into identifying and managing work-related stress, promoting positive mental health, and understanding employer responsibilities under regulations such as the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (UK) and the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 (Ireland). This aligns with recent HSE statistics indicating that work-related stress, depression, or anxiety accounted for 52% of all work-related ill health in Great Britain in 2024/25, affecting an estimated 964,000 workers.
  • Environmental Sustainability: With increasing corporate responsibility for environmental impact, the updated course will explore the intersection of occupational safety and environmental management, highlighting the role of managers in promoting sustainable practices.
  • Technological Advancements: New modules are expected to address safety implications arising from emerging technologies, including automation, artificial intelligence, and new forms of remote working, ensuring managers are prepared for future workplace challenges.

The updated IOSH Managing Safely is expected to be fully implemented by late 2024, with accredited training providers beginning to offer the new version in phases.

NEBOSH General Certificate: Assessment Streamlining and Minor Syllabus Adjustments

The NEBOSH National and International General Certificates in Occupational Health and Safety have undergone a review and update for 2026. Teaching of the revised syllabus began on 2 February 2026, with the first assessments taking place from 4 March 2026. While feedback indicated that much of the current syllabus remains fit for purpose, changes primarily focus on how the General Certificate is assessed.

  • Assessment Changes: The units formerly known as NG1 and NG2 (for the National General Certificate) and IG1 and IG2 (for the International General Certificate) are now GNC1 and GNC2, and GIC1 and GIC2 respectively. Unit 2, the practical risk assessment, has transitioned to a points-based marking system out of 100, with a pass mark of 60, and a published mark scheme. Results for both units will now be released together. The final assessment date for the current (2018 specification) syllabus for NG1/IG1 is 5 August 2026, and for NG2/IG2 is 6 August 2026.
  • Syllabus Content: The syllabus content itself has seen only minor changes, as NEBOSH's review found most of the 2018 material still current. The 11 elements retain identical titles. The definition of “incident” has been updated to reflect the ISO45001 definition.

NEBOSH has also revised its Health and Safety Management for Construction qualification for 2025, addressing key industry risks and aligning the UK variant with the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations. In 2023/24, 51 fatalities occurred in Great Britain's construction industry, representing 37% of all work-related deaths. The revised syllabus includes topics like fatigue and inspectors' powers.

Related training: If you are looking to qualify as a trainer in this area, see DSE assessor training or explore confined space trainer courses for nationally recognised UK and Ireland qualifications.

QQI Updates and First Aid Standards in Ireland

In Ireland, Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) plays a pivotal role in ensuring the quality and standards of education and training. QQI's updates primarily focus on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) and the standards required for programmes to be validated and recognised. This ensures that health and safety courses delivered by Irish training providers meet rigorous national standards and align with the requirements set out by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA).

Occupational First Aid Transition

A significant change in Irish first aid provision saw the QQI Occupational First Aid (OFA) 5N1207 award deactivated after the June 2019 certification period. The Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC) First Aid Response (FAR) Education and Training Standard (introduced in 2014) has replaced the QQI OFA Level 5N1207 course as the established standard for occupational first aid training in the workplace. This transition was a gradual process agreed upon by PHECC and the HSA. Employers in Ireland are required, based on risk assessment, to have a sufficient number of Occupational First Aiders trained and deployed in the workplace under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007.

These ongoing developments highlight a commitment to maintaining the relevance and robustness of health and safety training, ensuring that practitioners can address modern challenges. Employers and professionals alike are urged to stay informed about these changes to ensure compliance and foster a proactive safety culture. In 2025, the HSA reported 58 work-related fatalities in Ireland, a significant increase from 36 in 2024. The agriculture sector continues to account for the highest number of fatalities, with 23 deaths in 2025. In Great Britain, the HSE reported 124 worker fatalities in 2024/25, with 1.9 million workers suffering from work-related ill health.

For comprehensive training and further information on these and other health and safety qualifications, consider reaching out to Abertay Training at https://www.abertaytraining.co.uk.