Important Update to your course material

We have noted that the emphasis in part of the NGC supplement that was sent to students studying the National General Certificate before the 10th October is not correct.

Please replace paragraph 5 in the section on Defences in Unit 1 with the following text:

"In criminal negligence, a defence could be that the accused had done all that was reasonably practicable in the circumstances. Section 40 of the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 reverses the normal burden of proof and puts the onus on the accused to demonstrate their innocence. If they had done all that could reasonably have been done under the circumstances, then this would be deemed an adequate defence to make. This, for example, could be done by complying with an Approved Code of Practice to Health and Safety Regulations. The standard of proof here is that the defendant must demonstrate their innocence on "the balance of probabilities". This is different from most other criminal cases, which must be demonstrated to the standard of "beyond all reasonable doubt".

Finally, the defendant may make the case in his defence that the facts of the case were incorrect."

These amendments have already been made to the following version of the same supplement.

NEBOSH National General Certificate course update

Back to Student Focus