Statistical Analysis and Countermeasures of Laboratory Accidents in Chinese Universities and Research Institutes from 2004 to 2024

The laboratory safety accidents from 2004 to 2024 were collected and statistically analyzed from the aspects of the time, location, laboratory type, accident type, and accident cause. Additionally, we further put forward targeted countermeasures and recommendations for accident prevention. The results showed that a total of 137 laboratory safety accidents occurred from 2004 to 2024, causing 177 injuries and 19 fatalities. The number of accidents was at a high level from 2004 to 2015, and showed a fluctuating yet decreasing trend after 2016. March-April, June, August, and October-December were the months with the highest number of accidents, injuries and fatalities. The time periods with higher number of laboratory accidents were 8:01 to 16:00, accounting for 60.19% of the total number of accidents. Beijing, Shanghai, and Jiangsu had the most laboratory safety accidents. Chemistry laboratories were the type of laboratory with the highest number of accidents. The highest number of fire-related and explosive accidents occurred, human factors were the main direct cause of laboratory accidents. Based on the analysis, this study put forward countermeasures and suggestions for effective reducing laboratory accidents from four perspectives: building a laboratory safety management system, managing hazardous chemicals, providing safety training, and constructing an emergency prevention system.