IOSH Managing Safely vs Working Safely: The Difference

When You Book Multiple Courses.

The difference comes down to who the course is for. IOSH Working Safely is a one-day course for employees at any level who need the essentials of health and safety. IOSH Managing Safely is a three-day course for managers and supervisors who are responsible for the safety of other people.

If you manage or supervise a team, choose IOSH Managing Safely. If you do not, IOSH Working Safely gives you the grounding you need. The table and sections below set out the detail, including how Working Safely compares with the CITB course for construction workers.

IOSH Managing Safely vs Working Safely at a glance

	IOSH Working Safely	IOSH Managing Safely
Who it is for	Employees in any sector, at any level	Managers and supervisors in any sector
Length	One day	Three days (minimum 22 hours of contact time)
Content	Five topics: introducing working safely, hazards and risks, common hazards, improving safety performance, protecting the environment	Seven modules: introducing Managing Safely, assessing risks, controlling risks, responsibilities, hazards, investigating incidents, measuring performance
Assessment	Question paper and hazard-spotting exercise, completed on the day	Written and practical assessments
Certificate	IOSH Working Safely certificate	IOSH Managing Safely certificate
Certificate validity	IOSH does not publish an expiry date	Does not expire; IOSH recommends a one-day refresher
Prior experience needed	None	None
Typical roles	Operatives, warehouse and office staff, new starters, apprentices	Supervisors, team leaders, line managers, facilities and operations managers

Both courses are designed and quality-assured by IOSH, the Chartered body for safety and health professionals, and both are delivered only by IOSH-approved training providers. Both certificates can be checked through IOSH’s online verification service.

What IOSH Working Safely covers

Working Safely is designed for people with little or no formal safety and health training. It focuses on why safety matters and how each person’s behaviour makes a difference to their own wellbeing and that of their colleagues. IOSH is clear that it is not meant to turn delegates into safety experts. The course covers five topics:

Introducing working safely: why safety and health matter, and the human cost behind accident statistics
Defining hazards and risks: the difference between the two, in everyday language
Identifying common hazards: a range of workplace hazards, from aggression and violence to vehicles and transport
Improving safety performance: how workers can play their part in inspections, reporting and other safety processes
Protecting the environment: how workplace activities affect the environment

The assessment is built into the day: a question paper and a multiple-choice hazard-spotting exercise. There are no follow-on tests on another day, so staff are away from work for a single day.

What IOSH Managing Safely covers

Managing Safely is for people who manage safety as part of their job. It moves from “how do I stay safe” to “how do I keep my team safe”, with a strong focus on risk assessment. The seven modules are:

Introducing Managing Safely: why managers are accountable for the safety of their teams
Assessing risks: what risk assessment is, a simple scoring system, and practice assessments
Controlling risks: how to choose the right controls for key risks
Understanding responsibilities: what the law demands and how the legal system works
Understanding hazards: from asbestos, chemicals and confined spaces to manual handling, noise, stress and vehicles
Investigating incidents: why things go wrong and how to investigate when they do
Measuring performance: basic performance indicators, auditing, and proactive and reactive monitoring

Delegates who pass the written and practical assessments receive the IOSH Managing Safely certificate. If you are weighing up whether three days is a good use of your time, our guide Is IOSH Managing Safely right for you? Who needs it and is it worth it? covers the value of the course in more depth.

Which one do I need?

Work through these questions:

Do you manage, supervise or lead anyone? If not, choose Working Safely.
Do you allocate work, sign off risk assessments or deal with incidents in your team? Choose Managing Safely.
Have you just been promoted to supervisor or team leader? Choose Managing Safely. A change in responsibilities is one of the points at which the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 expect employers to provide training.
Are you training a whole team? A common approach is to put the workforce through Working Safely and supervisors and managers through Managing Safely, so everyone shares the same language about hazards and risk.
Are you new to construction and need a CSCS card? Neither IOSH course is the right route. See the next section.

You do not need to complete Working Safely before Managing Safely. Managing Safely has no entry requirements and starts from the basics.

IOSH Working Safely vs CITB Health and Safety Awareness

If you work in construction, the choice is often between IOSH Working Safely and the CITB Health and Safety Awareness (HSA) course. Both are one-day introductions, but they are built for different jobs.

CITB Health and Safety Awareness is written for construction sites. It covers individual responsibilities, typical construction hazards and how they are controlled, legal requirements, working at height, manual handling, fire prevention, work equipment and occupational health. CITB states that the certificate is valid for five years.
IOSH Working Safely is general. It suits any workplace, which makes it a good fit for mixed businesses such as manufacturing, warehousing and offices, but it is not construction specific.

The deciding factor for most site workers is the CSCS card. CSCS accepts the CITB Health and Safety Awareness course as an alternative to the Level 1 Award in Health and Safety in a Construction Environment for the Labourer card, alongside the CITB Health, Safety and Environment test. IOSH Working Safely is not on that list. So if you are new to site and need a Labourer card, book CITB Health and Safety Awareness. If you work outside construction or need a general safety grounding, IOSH Working Safely is the better choice.

Can I get a CSCS card with IOSH Managing Safely?

Not by itself. Neither IOSH Managing Safely nor IOSH Working Safely appears on the CSCS list of accepted qualifications for the Labourer card. IOSH Managing Safely is still valuable for managers who visit or oversee sites, but for site management roles principal contractors usually ask for SMSTS or SSSTS. Our step-by-step CSCS card guide explains the card routes.

Training your team with Target Zero

Target Zero runs IOSH Working Safely as a one-day online course, and IOSH Managing Safely over three days, live online via Zoom or in classroom venues on request. On the live online Managing Safely course you work alongside your trainer and other delegates in real time, so the discussion and group exercises that make these courses work are still part of the day.

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FAQs

Which IOSH course is best?

The best course is the one that matches your role. Working Safely is right for employees who do not manage others. Managing Safely is right for anyone who supervises people or is responsible for their safety. If you want a career in health and safety, a regulated qualification such as the NEBOSH General Certificate is the next step after Managing Safely.

Do I need IOSH Working Safely before Managing Safely?

No. Managing Safely has no entry requirements and is designed for managers without prior safety expertise, so you can go straight onto it.

Should I choose CITB or IOSH Working Safely?

If you work on construction sites and need a CSCS Labourer card, choose CITB Health and Safety Awareness, because CSCS accepts it and does not accept IOSH Working Safely. For other industries, IOSH Working Safely is the more general option.

Do IOSH certificates expire?

IOSH confirms that the Managing Safely certificate does not expire, and it recommends a one-day refresher to stay current. IOSH does not publish an expiry date for Working Safely either. Your employer or clients may still set their own refresh period. Our guide to IOSH certificate validity has more detail.

Can I take both IOSH courses online?

Yes. IOSH allows approved providers to deliver both courses in person, online or as a hybrid. Target Zero runs both online, with Managing Safely also available in classroom venues on request.

Once you know which course fits, the next step is simple. Managers and supervisors can see dates and formats on our IOSH Managing Safely course page, and team members can book onto IOSH Working Safely.