Chemical Safety in Iranian Universities: Navigating Challenges and Opportunities in the Absence of Dedicated Regulations and Designing a Pathway toward Cultural Safety

Laboratory safety in academic settings, particularly in developing countries, is of paramount importance due to major infrastructural challenges and the emergence of new technologies. This systematic review was conducted following the systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) preferred reporting standard and incorporated gray literature using the snowballing technique. A total of 14 articles were ultimately reviewed. A synthesis of the literature review findings and an examination of Iran’s domestic regulations were employed to develop a proposed framework for advancing chemical safety in academic laboratories. The analysis revealed that the absence of specific, mandatory regulations for small-scale academic chemical users, coupled with structural challenges such as fragmented responsibilities, weak enforcement, severe infrastructure deficiencies (e.g., 50% malfunctioning fume hoods), a profound attitude-practice gap (74% vs 24%), and the identification of human factors as the primary cause of incidents, poses a serious threat to safety. By identifying the challenges in academic laboratory safety, this study proposes a practical, multifaceted, and context-specific framework based on the DISC model, encompassing the development of native guidelines, individual empowerment, and the establishment of institutional support systems to strengthen the safety culture. The study’s final finding indicates that adopting a hybrid strategy, integrating both top-down regulatory reforms and bottom-up initiatives, can provide an effective pathway for entrenching a robust safety culture within this specific context.