ProQual NVQ Level 6 Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety Practice

A Degree-Level Health and Safety Qualification Earned Through Your Own Work

The ProQual NVQ Level 6 Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety Practice is a vocational qualification at bachelor's degree level for people who develop, implement and review health and safety arrangements in their organisation. Instead of classroom teaching and exams, it assesses the competence you already show at work, including how you review and sign off existing health and safety management systems.

It is completed by distance learning while you stay in full-time employment, and many candidates are sponsored by their employer.

Who Is the Qualification For?

• People currently working in a health and safety role who want a higher-level qualification
• Health and safety advisers, managers and consultants with management-level experience
• Employers looking to develop experienced safety staff
• Professionals who prefer a practical, evidence-based route to the academic route of the NEBOSH National Diploma

Are You Suitable?

Because the NVQ assesses existing competence rather than teaching it, you must be employed in a health and safety role and be able to show your management experience. Before booking, check that you can answer yes to the following:

• You currently hold a health and safety job role
• A professional colleague can provide a witness testimony of your occupational competence
• You have basic IT skills and a good understanding of written and spoken English
• You can supply documentary evidence from the last two years of your involvement in areas such as promoting a positive safety culture, writing health and safety policy, delivering training and managing competence, risk assessment, workplace inspections and audits, incident investigation, emergency preparedness, evaluating management systems and your own continuing professional development

How It Works

• A dedicated assessor is assigned for the whole qualification and carries out your initial assessment and induction
• You receive login details for an online e-portfolio and a structured list of the evidence required
• You upload work-based evidence electronically, so you can study from anywhere
• Support is given remotely by video call and email, and you can book catch-up calls with your assessor
• 18 months of support is included from booking

Duration

Most candidates take 12 to 18 months, and some finish within a year depending on how readily their evidence is available.

What You Must Demonstrate

• Promoting a positive health and safety culture
• Developing and implementing a health and safety policy
• Developing and implementing effective communication systems for health and safety information
• Developing and maintaining individual and organisational competence
• Identifying, assessing and controlling risks
• Developing and implementing proactive monitoring systems
• Developing and implementing reactive monitoring systems
• Developing and implementing emergency response systems and procedures
• Developing and implementing review systems
• Keeping up to date with improvements that influence practice

Assessment

There are no exams, and the NVQ is not a pass or fail test. Your assessor reviews each submission and gives clear feedback, and evidence can be resubmitted as often as needed. Assessment methods include:

• Work-based evidence – a portfolio showing your competence across the areas above
• Knowledge tasks – written or verbal answers on principles and legislation
• Witness testimony – confirmation of your competence from a colleague or supervisor
• Professional discussion – a structured conversation with your assessor to verify knowledge and expand on your evidence

Once your assessor is satisfied the portfolio meets the standard, it goes through quality assurance before being submitted to ProQual for certification.

Key Benefits

• For learners: a bachelor's degree-level qualification that proves your expertise, gained without exams and without leaving work
• For employers: higher health and safety standards, a visible commitment to safety, and better staff retention through investment in careers

FAQ

What level is the NVQ Level 6?

Level 6 is equivalent to a full bachelor's degree, the same level as the NEBOSH National Diploma.

Do I have to sit any exams?

No. The qualification is assessed through your portfolio, knowledge tasks, witness testimony and a professional discussion.

Can I take it if I am not working in health and safety?

No. You must be employed in a health and safety role and be able to evidence your experience in it.

NVQ Level 6 or NEBOSH National Diploma?

Both are Level 6. The NVQ is practical and evidence-based, while the NEBOSH Diploma is taught and academically assessed. The right choice depends on your experience and how you prefer to learn.

What can I do after the NVQ Level 6?

The diploma can open the way to postgraduate study, including master's-level degrees.

Related Content

• NVQ Health and Safety courses
• NEBOSH National Diploma courses
• NEBOSH courses
• Health and Safety courses
• Phoenix Health & Safety courses

For accredited courses such as NEBOSH and IOSH a certificate will be sent directly to you from the appropriate awarding body.

For short health and safety courses a completion certificate is available at the end of the course. You can screenshot this or print it out to confirm completion of the training.

All you need to complete our health and safety e-learning courses is a computer, tablet or smartphone and an internet connection.

Connection quality is the responsibility of the delegate. If you need to download free video conferencing software please visit our video conferencing software page where you can download the software specified by Phoenix H&S.

Online learning courses provide flexible learning experiences so that you study whenever, easily fitting learning around other commitments.

Our e-learning courses include interactive activities, real-life scenarios, and practice exam questions, all designed to provide an informative and engaging learning experience. The programmes can be bookmarked, making it easy for learners to pick up where they left off and study around their schedule. 

Our short health and safety courses also help employers to demonstrate that they have fulfilled their legal duties to ensure their personnel have been adequately trained.

Once the courses have been completed, a confirmation of results can be saved or printed as evidence. This can then be kept on record as evidence of suitable training. 

You will instantly receive a confirmation email with your order details and your course login details will follow within one business working day.

Please note that course bookings can not be processed outside of normal working hours, over weekends or on bank holidays and will be processed the next business working day.

Step 1

Click the 'Buy' or 'Add to cart' button and you will be taken to our payment/booking page where you can choose to pay online now using a debit/credit card or you can pay later by invoice.

Step 2

Once you have paid for your course(s), you will receive an email from our team advising how to begin your training.

Step 3

You will be provided with a username and password which will enable you to access the e-learning portal. Login to start your course, once you have completed and passed the course, you will be able to download and print your certificate straight away.

Founded in 2005, Phoenix Health & Safety are one of the nation's leading health and safety training providers, and are committed to providing an unbeatable service and learning experience to students.

We deliver NEBOSH, IOSH, NVQ, Construction, First Aid and general health and safety courses to your organisation and employees. Our courses are available online, at a training centre, in-house or via distance learning. Our training courses are comprehensive and cover all aspects of health, safety and environmental management.

Envico is working in partnership with Phoenix Health & Safety offering NEBOSH training and is not accredited by or associated with NEBOSH, IOSH or any other examination bodies, awarding bodies, institutions or organisations in any way whatsoever.