Research on changes of accident characteristics and safety management countermeasures in university laboratories: A statistical analysis based on 176 cases

University laboratories are fundamental platforms for scientific research and talent development. Their management effectiveness and operational integrity directly shape institutional academic competitiveness and long-term development trajectories. As China’s higher education sector expands rapidly, the proliferation of university laboratories has been marked by a rise in accidents, revealing systemic deficiencies in existing safety management systems. Current research predominantly addresses accident causes and safety management systems; however, it lacks critical investigations into dynamic temporal characteristics. To address this gap, this study conducted a focused analysis of temporal patterns across accident types, risk factors, procedural phases, and underlying causes, based on 176 university laboratory accidents from 1984 to 2024. The findings aim to establish a theoretical foundation for dynamic safety management strategies and strengthen laboratory safety management capabilities in Chinese universities.

This study retrieved over 1,200 initial records through comprehensive searches of academic databases (e.g., China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, and China Science and Technology Journal Database), search engines (e.g., Baidu and Bing), and AI-assisted tools (e.g., DeepSeek and Kimi). The study used keywords such as “university laboratory accidents” and “college laboratory incidents.” After screening and excluding invalid records, 176 university laboratory accidents were included in the study. Key details, including accident time, university, province, accident type, causes, procedural phases, risk factors, and casualties, were systematically extracted. Differences in injury severity across accident types, risk factors, procedural phases, and underlying causes were compared using one-way ANOVA, while temporal variations in these parameters were analyzed using chi-square tests. The significance threshold was set at α = 0.05, with results considered statistically significant at P < 0.05 and non-significant at P > 0.05. Data are presented as mean ± standard error (SE). All statistical analyses were conducted using R (version 4.5.0).

The study findings are as follows: ① There was an initial increase in university laboratory accidents in China, followed by a decline. Although there were fewer accidents during 2018–2021, their severity increased during this period. ② Fire-related disasters (47.73%) and explosions (30.68%) emerged as the main types of laboratory accidents. ③ Biosafety-related accidents decreased significantly over time, mainly attributable to strengthened biosafety regulations and improved management practices in China. ④ Fire-related disasters showed a marked increase, closely linked to non-compliant experimental procedures and aging electrical circuits and instrumentation. ⑤ Deficiencies in laboratory safety management were associated with the highest average mortality rates, highlighting critical gaps in current safety protocols.

This study statistically examines the temporal patterns in university laboratory accidents, infrastructure aging challenges, and deficiencies in laboratory management systems. We recommend the following: ① Conduct certified electrical inspections at least once every semester and enforce mandatory decommissioning or replacement of equipment that has exceeded its service life. ② Establish a standardized risk assessment framework that requires demonstrated proficiency in experimental protocols and defines codified safety violation thresholds. ③ Implement rigorous access control mechanisms that include cradle-to-grave hazardous chemical management and systematic infrastructure safety reinforcement. ④ Develop a university laboratory safety management framework comprising restructured core safety values, strengthened institutional governance, multi-level regulatory coordination, robust safety education programs, and regular emergency response drills. These findings offer valuable data and theoretical insights to support enhanced risk prevention in university laboratories.