ProQual Level 6 NVQ Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety Practice further serves as a distinguished credential for professionals pursuing chartered membership with professional bodies or seeking specialist certifications in occupational hygiene, fire safety, construction design management, or environmental management. It provides a robust vocational platform for candidates aiming to attain advanced diplomas in business leadership, quality assurance, or corporate risk governance. This NVQ enhances career progression by formally validating executive-level competence in health and safety leadership, preparing learners for prestigious appointments such as Head of Health and Safety, Group Risk Manager, Health and Safety Director, or Independent Consultant. Ultimately, this qualification empowers practitioners to protect people, enhance organisational resilience, and achieve formal recognition as elite professionals within the global occupational health and safety sector.
This prestigious NVQ Diploma is specifically designed for senior health and safety professionals who are responsible for leading strategic policy development, managing complex risk environments, and driving organisational safety culture at an executive level. The programme validates advanced competence through work-based evidence, requiring candidates to demonstrate authoritative application of health and safety legislation, risk management frameworks, and business-focused safety solutions across diverse industrial sectors. Learners will master the evaluation of organisational performance, incident investigation methodologies, and the leadership of continuous improvement strategies that align safety objectives with commercial priorities. Emphasis is placed on developing autonomous professional practice capable of influencing board-level decision-making and regulatory compliance.
The curriculum delivers substantial intellectual rigour through comprehensive workplace assessment, requiring candidates to produce substantial portfolios of evidence that showcase their ability to manage health and safety in complex, high-risk, and multi-site operational environments. Participants will engage with sophisticated challenges including the development of strategic safety business cases, audit programme leadership, critical analysis of safety management systems, and the promotion of workforce wellbeing initiatives that extend beyond legislative compliance. This qualification consolidates executive-level competence with applied vocational practice, validating an individual’s capacity to lead organisational transformation, mentor aspiring practitioners, and maintain professional accountability whilst responding proactively to emerging technological, environmental, and social governance demands.
Program Highlights
The Level 6 NVQ Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety Practice comprises 10 essential units that candidates are required to successfully accomplish. It is mandatory for candidates to satisfactorily complete all of the following prescribed units.
Mandatory Units
Entry Requirements
The entry requirements for this executive-level NVQ Diploma ensure learners possess the strategic experience, technical authority, and professional maturity required to lead health and safety at a senior level within complex environments.
- Age Requirement: Learners must be at least 19 years of age.
- Educational Background: Learners should ideally hold a relevant Level 5 or Level 6 qualification in occupational health and safety, such as the Level 5 Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety Practice, Level 5 NVQ Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety Practice, or Level 6 Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety Management. Level 5 Certificate in Construction Health and Safety, foundation degrees in health and safety or risk management, and international equivalents are also accepted. GCSE English and mathematics at grade C/4 or above are highly beneficial.
- Language Proficiency: Learners must possess strong written and spoken English, equivalent to GCSE grade C/4, Level 2 functional skills, or IELTS 6.5.
- Work Experience: A minimum of three to five years of senior health and safety experience in a leadership role is required. Suitable roles include Health and Safety Manager, Group Risk Manager, Head of Health and Safety, Safety Consultant, Compliance Manager, or Health and Safety Director.
These entry criteria ensure every learner undertaking this NVQ Diploma possesses the strategic experience, specialist knowledge, and professional readiness required to succeed at Level 6.
Learning Outcomes
Promote a health and safety culture
- Be able to advocate commitment to a positive health and safety culture in the organisation.
- Be able to develop links with appropriate people and groups on Health and Safety matters.
- Understand the importance of promoting a positive health and safety culture within the organisation.
- Be able to maintain and record their professional development
Develop and implement the health and safety policy
- Be able to define the statutory and workplace health and safety requirements for the organisation.
- Be able to develop the Health and Safety Policy.
- Be able to implement the Health and Safety Policy.
- Know the steps required to develop and implement the Health and Safety Policy.
- Be able to maintain and record their professional development
Develop and implement effective communication systems for health and safety information
- Be able to evaluate health and safety information.
- Be able to produce communication systems for health and safety information into the organisation.
- Be able to control the effectiveness of the communication systems for health and safety information going out of the organisation.
- Know how to develop and implement effective communication systems for health and safety information.
- Be able to maintain and record their professional development
Develop and maintain individual and organisational competence in health and safety matters
- Be able to assess the health and safety competence needs of the organisation.
- Be able to implement health and safety training to meet identified needs.
- Know how to develop and maintain individual and organisational competence in health and safety matters.
- Be able to maintain and record their professional development
Identify, assess and control health and safety risks
- Be able to conduct an inspection of the workplace
- Be able to assess risks to health and safety.
- Be able to implement risk control measures and safe systems of work in the organisation.
- Know how to identify, assess and control health and safety risks
- Be able to maintain and record their professional development
Develop and implement proactive monitoring systems for health and safety
- Be able to devise inspection and monitoring systems for health and safety proactive performance monitoring.
- Be able to keep stakeholders informed of health and safety proactive performance monitoring outcomes.
- Understand how to develop and implement proactive monitoring systems for health and safety.
- Be able to maintain and record their professional development
Develop and implement reactive monitoring systems for health and safety
- Be able to develop a health and safety loss event reporting and recording system.
- Be able to implement health and safety loss event investigation systems and procedures.
- Be able to conduct statistical and epidemiological analyses.
- Be able to maintain communication with stakeholders of health and safety reactive performance monitoring outcomes.
- Understand how to develop and implement reactive monitoring systems for health and safety
- Be able to maintain and record their professional development
Develop and implement health and safety emergency response systems and procedures
- Be able to develop health and safety emergency response procedures.
- Be able to implement procedures for the control of a health and safety emergency.
- Understand how to develop and implement health and safety emergency response systems and procedures.
- Be able to maintain and record their professional development
Develop and implement health and safety review systems
- Be able to investigate the efficiency and cost effectiveness of health and safety management systems.
- Be able to confirm that each part of the health and safety management system is working as intended.
- Be able to confirm that the entire health and safety system is working as intended.
- Be able to maintain and record their professional development
Maintain knowledge of improvements to influence health and safety practice
- Be able to maintain and record their professional developmentD
- Be able to identify new developments in health and safety.
- Be able to influence colleagues on health and safety matters
- Know how to maintain knowledge of improvements in health and safety practice
Target Audiences
This qualification is designed for senior health and safety professionals who are ready to progress from operational management into executive leadership and strategic policy development roles. It is ideal for practitioners seeking to formalise their advanced expertise through work-based evidence, demonstrating authoritative application of health and safety law, risk management frameworks, and business-focused safety solutions across complex, high-risk, and multi-site environments. The programme supports those who wish to achieve chartered level competence, influence board-level decision-making, and lead organisational safety culture transformation whilst remaining within professional health and safety practice.
- Health and Safety Managers
- Group Risk Managers
- Head of Health and Safety
- Health and Safety Directors
- Senior Safety Advisors
- Compliance Managers
- Health and Safety Consultants
- Environmental Health Officers
- Construction Safety Managers
- Oil and Gas Safety Professionals
- Manufacturing Safety Leaders
- Logistics and Transport Safety Managers
- Public Sector Health and Safety Leads
- Fire Safety Managers progressing to strategic H&S roles
- Quality Assurance Managers with H&S responsibilities
- Facilities Directors overseeing corporate compliance
- Operations Directors with safety governance duties
- Insurance Risk Surveyors
- Health and Safety Trainers moving into consultancy
- Armed Forces Health and Safety Specialists transitioning to civilian roles
ProQual Level 6 NVQ Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety Practice is the definitive choice for dedicated health and safety leaders who are ready to achieve executive-level recognition, drive strategic safety performance, and secure chartered status as elite professionals within the global occupational health and safety sector.
