The NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Process Safety Management is designed for people who work in process industries such as oil and gas refining, chemicals, plastics and pharmaceuticals manufacturing. It is suitable for managers, supervisors, safety representatives and health and safety advisors working within the process industries, both inside and outside the UK.

It is not designed for chemical and process safety engineers experienced in the specification, design and maintenance of process plant.

This qualification is designed to equip delegates with a broad understanding of the accepted principles and recognised industrial practices for the management of process risk. This will ensure that they can recognise and contribute to the control of process safety hazards.

The NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Process Safety Management will provide you with a sound breadth of knowledge and understanding which will enable you to contribute to the management of process safety risks. You will learn about:

• Process safety management system establishment
• Asset management and maintenance strategies
• Safe start-up and shutdown of process plant
• Performance standards for safety critical systems and equipment
• Hazards and controls for chemical reactions; bulk storage of dangerous substances; fire and explosion
• Purpose and features of emergency plans

There are no entry requirements for this qualification.

It is important that learners have a suitable standard of English language in order to understand and articulate the concepts contained in the syllabus. NEBOSH recommends that learners undertaking this qualification should reach a minimum standard of English equivalent to an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 7.0 or higher in IELTS tests.

Read more about language requirements for NEBOSH qualifications.

The process safety industry is high hazard, so having qualified people to manage activities within the industry will lead to safer work places.
This helps to prevent loss of life, protect valuable assets and help organisations avoid prosecution, and ultimately loss of reputation.
People who hold the NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Process Safety Management have practical knowledge that brings real value, wherever they operate.
This can help employers achieve international standards and can help win new business.

The course is based around 4 Elements and has a minimum of 28 taught hours, plus a 1.5 hour exam

Unit PSM1: Process Safety Management
Multiple Choice Assessment

Element 1

• Process safety management

Element 2

• Management process risk

Element 3

• Process safety hazard control

Element 4

• Fire and protection emergency response

Unit PSM1: Process Safety Management:

28 taught hours, 20 hours private study and a 1.5 hours assessment

Element 1:

• Advise on the difference between process safety and personal safety
• Advise on the importance of leadership in assigning roles, responsibilities and resources to improve safety standards and positively influence organisational culture
• Advise on the importance of organisational learning from lessons learned; incident investigations; benchmarking standards; and sources of process safety information
• Understand how ‘change’ should be managed to effectively reduce risks to people and plant
• Help organisations to understand the importance of worker and contractor consultation
• Advise on the importance of competence and training

Element 2:

• Understand the purpose and importance of establishing a process safety management system
• Recognise common risk management techniques to reduce process safety risk
• Understand what effective asset management, plant maintenance and inspection strategies would consider
• Understand the essential nature of permit to-work systems, and the key features that they should contain
• Recognise how shift handovers should be safely managed
• Help their organisation manage contractors

Element 3:

• Advise how operating procedures should be written and applied
• Recognise suitable control measures for an organisation’s start-up and shut-down processes
• Understand the importance of performance standards for safety critical systems and equipment
• Recognise hazards associated with the use of steam and water in the process industries; and suitable control measures to reduce risk
• Recognise hazards associated with the use of electricity and static electricity in the process industries; and suitable control measures to reduce risk
• Recognise the risks associated with dangerous substances in the process industries
• Recognise hazards associated with chemical reactions; and suitable protective measures to mitigate the consequences of a thermal runaway reaction
• Recognise hazards associated with bulk storage of dangerous substances; and suitable control measures to reduce risk

Element 4:

• Recognise fire and explosion hazards within the process industries
• Recognise suitable control measures to minimise the effects of fire and explosion in the process industries
• Recognise dust explosion hazards; and suitable control measures to prevent and minimise explosion
• Contribute towards the development and maintenance of an organisation’s emergency plan

The qualification has one unit assessment: a 90 minute online multiple-choice assessment. Sample assessment questions are available to download from the NEBOSH website. The question paper consists of 40 multiple-choice questions; 10 of which are extended scenario questions. Each question is worth one mark and has one correct and three incorrect responses available. The question paper covers the whole syllabus with at least one question per element.

All questions are compulsory. It is a closed-book assessment, so learners will not be able to refer to their course books or notes.

These assessments will also be remotely proctored to ensure their integrity.
 

NEBOSH have provided resources and information to help you prepare for your online multiple choice assessment:

• Download learner guidance in  On Screen Multiple Choice Assessment Technical Learner Guide.
• Watch the short video with important information for your online multiple choice assessment here: Online Multiple Choice - NEBOSH
• The online multiple choice assessment is not accessible via a smart device due to system requirements of the online proctoring.
• We strongly recommend that you check your computer/laptop system against the requirements listed by NEBOSH's remote proctoring service, Proctorio. This information is available via the Proctorio website.
• Being connected to a VPN has caused some learners to be repeatedly timed out from their assessment. If you use a VPN, we recommend that you disconnect before starting your assessment. 

You must achieve a ‘pass’ (60% or higher) in order to be awarded the qualification.

Assessments are taken after completion of the course learning. Assessments are held monthly, with the assessment being available for a 24 hour period.
You will be able to start your assessment at any time during this 24 hour window, but will have 90 minutes in total to complete your assessment.

You should receive your results within 15 working days of sitting the examination. Once you have achieved a pass, a qualification parchment will be issued. This is normally within 20 working days of confirmation of the successful PSM1 unit.

You may re-sit your unit assessment if you are referred. There is no limit to the number of times you can re-sit a unit, but there will be a further registration fee to re-sit the exam.

You can read more about online multiple format assessments: Online Multiple Choice.

• Exam registration for Unit PSM1
• Course materials
• Study guides
• Lunch and refreshments for all Norwich classroom courses and parking

On successful completion of Unit PSM1, the delegate will receive the NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Process Safety Management parchment. 

The NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Process Safety Management is not accredited by a UK Regulator. However, it has been credit rated by Qualifications Scotland against the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) at SCQF level 7. This is comparable to RQF Level 4 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and equivalent to A-level standard in England.

The course runs from 9:00am through to 5:00pm for the 4 days of training. Refreshments are available from 8:45am.

We provide:

• NEBOSH registration, exam & certificate
• Course book & material
• Note pad and pen
• Polos!

Also includes:

• Free on-site parking
• Lunch & refreshments. Please let us know if you have any dietary requirements. 
• Free WiFi

Our Norwich on-site parking (NR3 1UB) is free and situated 5 minutes walk along the river to our training centre at St James Mill. If you arrive by train, it is about 20 minutes on the Riverside walk or a short taxi ride to get to us. View full directions for Norwich and all our other venues.

You will learn in a relaxed environment with a small group of people. A specialist tutor will guide and encourage you through all the learning necessary to develop your skills, and questions are always welcome.

We aim to provide you with an effective, quality, learning experience to support your studies and to prepare you for the Unit PSM1 assessment.

Your tutor is there to support you during the training and leading up to the exam and full completion of your qualification, so please discuss any questions with them, they are always happy to help. We also have a dedicated team of assessors and staff to support you through your learner journey. 

If you have any questions about this course, please contact us for more details. 

NEBOSH (The National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health) was formed in 1979 as an awarding body with charitable status. They offer a comprehensive range of globally-recognised qualifications designed to meet the health, safety and environmental management needs of all places of work.

NEBOSH Qualifications:

• Give practical skills that keep workplaces safer
• Help build careers with a modular qualification structure
• Relevant to every workplace
• Are recognised by professional membership bodies such as IOSH

Read more about NEBOSH