IOSH courses are workplace health and safety courses accredited by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health — the only chartered body for health and safety professionals, founded in 1945, with around 50,000 members across 130 countries. IOSH certificates are recognised across every industry rather than tied to one sector, which is why employers so often specify them for supervisors and managers.
The courses are practical rather than academic, and are measured in days rather than months. Three cover most needs — Working Safely for employees, Managing Safely for managers, Leading Safely for directors — with sector versions and specialist topics alongside them. All are available in classroom, live online and e-learning formats, or on-site for groups, though availability of the specialist courses varies by provider.
Which IOSH course do I need? Pick by responsibility, not by seniority. Responsible only for your own safety — Working Safely (one day). Responsible for other people day to day — Managing Safely (three days, by far the most requested). Setting direction and budgets rather than supervising — Leading Safely.
If health and safety is becoming the job rather than part of it, the NEBOSH General Certificate is usually the better next step — longer, externally examined, and a recognised route towards professional IOSH membership. Not sure? Get in touch before you book.
Core IOSH courses
The four courses that cover most workplaces, aligned to level of responsibility.
3 days — managers, supervisors and team leaders
★ Most popular
The standard management-level health and safety course, suitable for any industry. Covers hazard identification, risk assessment, control measures, incident investigation and performance measurement. Assessed by a written test and a practical risk assessment based on a real workplace.
1 day — all employees at any level
◆ Entry level
A one-day introduction to workplace health and safety for people at any level and in any sector. Covers why safety matters, common hazards, and each person’s own responsibilities. Assessed by a multiple-choice test and a hazard-spotting exercise.
Short course — directors and senior leaders
◆ Senior level
Aimed at those setting direction rather than managing day to day. Focuses on the leadership behaviours that shape safety culture, and the business case for taking health and safety seriously at board level. Assessed by discussion and a reflective statement rather than an exam.
IOSH Managing Safely Refresher
1 day — existing certificate holders
↻ Refresher
Updates existing Managing Safely holders on current practice without repeating the full three days. The certificate has no formal expiry, but IOSH recommends refreshing knowledge every three years and many employers apply that as an internal standard.
A note on the practical project. Managing Safely is assessed by a written test and a practical risk assessment based on a real workplace. That applies to every format including e-learning, so it is not a course you can complete by clicking through modules alone. Worth deciding in advance which area you will assess — our risk assessment guidance is a useful starting point. If you do not currently have access to a workplace, ask the provider what they accept before booking.
Sector and specialist IOSH courses
Versions of Managing Safely tailored to particular sectors, plus courses covering environmental, wellbeing and behavioural topics.
Construction
The Managing Safely syllabus applied to construction sites. Worth comparing against SMSTS, which many principal contractors specify instead.
Construction — site managers
Safety, health and environment for those running construction sites, covering the environmental duties that sit alongside site safety. Aligned to the relevant Build UK training standard.
Environmental
Environmental duties for managers, increasingly requested as sustainability responsibilities are added to existing safety roles. See also environmental training.
Occupational health
Health and wellbeing at work rather than physical safety alone — stress, mental health, and the management practices that affect both. See also mental health training.
Leadership
Why people take shortcuts and what leaders can actually do about it, drawing on behavioural science rather than rules alone.
Aviation
The Managing Safely syllabus applied to airside and aviation environments, with their own distinct hazards and controls.
Social housing
Tailored to housing providers and their contractors, covering the hazards of working in occupied residential properties.
Board level
Board-level responsibilities and personal liability, for those whose decisions set the conditions everyone else works under. See also legal responsibilities.
Training a team? Managing Safely runs over three days, so sending managers out one at a time adds up quickly in travel and time away from the job. Most IOSH courses can be delivered at your premises or a venue near you, priced for the group rather than per person, with everyone certified on the same date. See on-site training for groups or call 0808 1966 830.
IOSH workplace safety topics
The subjects IOSH courses cover, with our free guidance on each.
Identifying hazards, evaluating risk and applying suitable control measures — the core of Managing Safely and its practical project.
Falls from ladders, roofs and access equipment remain one of the leading causes of workplace fatalities in the UK.
Chemicals, dusts, vapours and fumes, and the COSHH assessments and controls that managers are expected to arrange.
Lifting, carrying and repetitive handling, and the musculoskeletal injuries that account for a large share of lost working days.
Prevention, evacuation planning and the responsible person’s duties. Covered at awareness level rather than in depth by IOSH courses.
Workplace stress, wellbeing and occupational health — the focus of Managing Occupational Health and Wellbeing.
How communication, accountability and visible leadership shape whether procedures are actually followed on the ground.
What the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and its regulations require of employers, managers and individual employees.
Our full library of free workplace health and safety guidance, covering hazards, duties and practical controls.
IOSH course questions
Do IOSH certificates expire?
No. IOSH certificates carry no formal expiry date. IOSH recommends that Managing Safely holders refresh their knowledge every three years, and many employers write that into their own competence standards, which is what the Managing Safely Refresher is for. If a client or framework asks for a certificate “in date”, they usually mean within three years.
How long does each IOSH course take?
Working Safely is one day. Managing Safely is three days in a classroom or live online, or roughly 20 to 25 hours of self-paced study as e-learning. The Managing Safely Refresher is one day. Leading Safely is a short course, typically half a day.
Durations for the sector and specialist courses vary between providers, so check the individual course page. Classroom days are not always consecutive.
Is IOSH the same as NEBOSH?
No — they are separate organisations. IOSH is the chartered membership body for health and safety professionals, and its courses are short, practical and aimed at people managing safety as part of a wider role. NEBOSH is an examination board offering longer, externally examined qualifications aimed at people building a career in health and safety. Many people do both, usually IOSH first.
Does IOSH Managing Safely count instead of SMSTS on site?
Not usually. They are different schemes with different purposes: Managing Safely is a general management course accepted across all industries, while SMSTS is the CITB Site Safety Plus course that most principal contractors name in their own site requirements. If a contract or framework specifies SMSTS, an IOSH certificate will not satisfy it. Check what the contract actually asks for before booking either.
How much does IOSH training cost?
It depends on the course, the format and the provider. E-learning is normally the cheapest option, classroom the most expensive because of venue and materials costs, with live online sitting between the two. For groups, on-site delivery is usually cheaper per head than sending people out individually. Current prices for every date are shown on the course search.
Related training
NEBOSH General Certificate
CITB courses
SMSTS
Construction courses
Construction NVQ
CDM training
Environmental training
Mental health & wellbeing
Health & safety guidance
All health & safety courses
On-site group training
All IOSH courses listed here are delivered and certificated by independent IOSH-approved training providers.