Advancing Laboratory Safety: The IHSCE Tool for Integrated Health, Safety, Civil Protection, and Environmental Management in University Laboratories

Laboratories are essential spaces within universities as they foster learning through practice and advance academic discovery through research. However, laboratory work involves inherent hazards and risks associated with these activities. To overcome this challenge, the Integrated Health, Safety, Civil Protection, and Environmental Management tool (IHSCE tool) was developed in 2021. Initially designed as a questionnaire of 111 items classified into four subindicators, the tool has since been refined with input from experts and public and private institutions. It was subsequently validated in laboratories from high school institutions, resulting in the current version consisting of 85 items organized into seven subindicators. In this study, the IHSCE tool was applied for the first time in a public university in Mexico to evaluate safety management across 23 teaching and research laboratories. The overall IHSCE score for the university’s laboratories was 5.5 out of 10 possible points, indicating that management practices require significant strengthening across all areas. The subindicator on emergency and safety equipment received particular attention, with an average score of 3.7. These findings underscore the need to implement improvement measures to enhance laboratory safety, protect the university community, and minimize risks to the surrounding environment.