Level 6 NVQ Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety Practice

NVQ course overview

About this NVQ course

The Level 6 NVQ Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety Practice is designed for professionals who hold significant responsibility for managing health, safety and wellbeing within an organisation.

The qualification enables candidates to demonstrate their ability to develop and maintain effective health and safety policies, procedures and management systems through their normal workplace activities.

Key areas include:

Promoting a positive health and safety culture Controlling workplace health and safety risks Developing effective communication systems Maintaining individual and organisational competence Implementing behavioural safety programmes Developing proactive monitoring systems Developing reactive monitoring and investigation systems Reviewing organisational health and safety performance Managing contractors and supply-chain compliance Developing induction and training procedures Establishing emergency-response arrangements Influencing improvements in professional practice Developing and implementing health and safety policies

The qualification is suitable for health and safety managers, advisers and practitioners working across construction, engineering, manufacturing, facilities management and other industries.

Candidates work with an occupationally competent assessor to develop a portfolio demonstrating how they manage health and safety in a real working environment.

Before you apply

Entry requirements

Applicants must:

Be aged 18 or over Be working in an occupational health and safety practitioner or management role Have responsibility for developing, implementing or reviewing workplace health and safety procedures Have access to suitable workplace evidence and assessment opportunities Be able to demonstrate responsibility for risk management, monitoring, communication and organisational improvement Have the support of their employer where access to workplace documentation or witness testimony is required

There are no mandatory previous qualifications. However, candidates should have relevant occupational health and safety experience and may already hold a Level 3 health and safety qualification or equivalent.

An initial assessment will confirm that the candidate’s role and responsibilities provide sufficient opportunities to meet the Level 6 requirements.

Assessment

How you will be assessed

Assessment is completed through a portfolio of evidence based on the candidate’s normal workplace activities.

Evidence may include:

Health and safety policies and procedures Risk assessments and risk-control plans Inspection and audit reports Accident and incident investigations Proactive and reactive monitoring records Health and safety performance reports Training and competence records Behavioural safety programmes Emergency procedures Contractor-management documentation Meeting minutes and communications Photographs and workplace records Witness testimonies Assessor observations Professional discussions Written or recorded knowledge questions Reflective accounts explaining decisions and actions

There is no single final examination. Candidates must demonstrate that they have satisfied all performance and knowledge requirements.

The qualification requires 97 credits: 80 credits from the mandatory units and at least 17 credits from a minimum of two optional units.

Professional progression

Your next step

Successful candidates may progress into roles including:

Health and Safety Manager Senior Health and Safety Adviser Health, Safety and Environment Manager Construction Health and Safety Manager Compliance Manager Risk Manager Health and Safety Consultant Head of Health and Safety Health, Safety, Environment and Quality Manager