From organizational failure to systemic prevention: A <scp>24Model</scp> analysis of university laboratory accidents

Abstract Within the complex environment of university laboratories that integrate teaching and research, the direct cause of accidents in university laboratories is often manifested in human error, but their root causes often reside in organizational defects. To develop targeted prevention strategies, this study applies the 24Model, an accident causation model, to examine 35 Chinese laboratory safety accidents, aiming to systematically analyze the causal relationship between accidents and various influencing factors. By categorizing the influencing factors into immediate, indirect, radical, and root causes, this study statistically identifies the specific manifestations and frequencies of unsafe factors revealing that cultivating a good safety culture and building a robust management system are key to ensuring laboratory safety at the root. Then, a series of systematic prevention strategies is proposed, providing practical guidance for laboratory safety managers to implement root cause governance and enhance overall safety at the organizational level.