{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,6]],"date-time":"2026-01-06T02:26:11Z","timestamp":1767666371034,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,12,21]],"date-time":"2023-12-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1703116800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Safety"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The implementation of a safety culture and awareness of emergency issues in buildings has been growing in more developed societies. It is essential that all occupants know how to act in an emergency situation, particularly during an emergency evacuation. In higher education institutions (HEIs), which annually host not only their many employees, but also national and international students, it is essential to know and understand the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors that the academic community demonstrates in this matter. This study aimed to characterize the perception of occupants regarding safety, specifically in the emergency evacuation phase, within the academic community of an HEI. In this observational cross-sectional study, data on general knowledge and attitudes regarding safety and actions during emergency situations were collected through an anonymous questionnaire targeting students, faculty, and non-teaching staff, which was sent via institutional email. Valid responses were received from 392 participants and then scored and assessed on different domains. The results obtained showed that, despite a reasonable average regarding the general level of knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of the occupants on the subject, the community falls somewhat short in terms of training. It is noteworthy that approximately 64% of the sample has never received awareness or training related to emergency evacuation, and around 68% are unaware of the location of their institution\u2019s meeting\/gathering point. Finally, by identifying the most common gaps, namely the training dimension, some simple measures could be improved, such as the dissemination of safety instructions accessible through QR codes placed in strategic locations or even conducting small drills during class sessions, as well as learning with simulation concerning different scenarios of emergency.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/safety10010003","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,12,21]],"date-time":"2023-12-21T10:53:52Z","timestamp":1703156032000},"page":"3","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["General Knowledge and Attitudes about Safety and Emergency Evacuation: The Case of a Higher Education Institution"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"10","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4352-4555","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carlos","family":"Carvalhais","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"TBIO, ESS, Polytechnic of Porto, Rua Dr. Ant\u00f3nio Bernardino de Almeida 400, 4200-072 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"EPIUnit\u2014Instituto de Sa\u00fade P\u00fablica, Universidade do Porto, Rua das Taipas, 135, 4050-600 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Laborat\u00f3rio para a Investiga\u00e7\u00e3o Integrativa e Translacional em Sa\u00fade Populacional (ITR), Rua das Taipas, 135, 4050-600 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Ricardo","family":"Dias","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CISA, ESS, Polytechnic of Porto, Rua Dr. Ant\u00f3nio Bernardino de Almeida 400, 4200-072 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0027-8462","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carla","family":"Costa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"EPIUnit\u2014Instituto de Sa\u00fade P\u00fablica, Universidade do Porto, Rua das Taipas, 135, 4050-600 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Laborat\u00f3rio para a Investiga\u00e7\u00e3o Integrativa e Translacional em Sa\u00fade Populacional (ITR), Rua das Taipas, 135, 4050-600 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Department of Environmental Health, National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge, Rua Alexandre Herculano, 321, 4000-055 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Manuela V.","family":"Silva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"EPIUnit\u2014Instituto de Sa\u00fade P\u00fablica, Universidade do Porto, Rua das Taipas, 135, 4050-600 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Laborat\u00f3rio para a Investiga\u00e7\u00e3o Integrativa e Translacional em Sa\u00fade Populacional (ITR), Rua das Taipas, 135, 4050-600 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"CISA, ESS, Polytechnic of Porto, Rua Dr. Ant\u00f3nio Bernardino de Almeida 400, 4200-072 Porto, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,12,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"103584","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijdrr.2023.103584","article-title":"Students\u2019 evacuation behavior during an emergency at schools: A systematic literature review","volume":"87","author":"Bahmani","year":"2023","journal-title":"Int. J. Disaster Risk Reduct."},{"doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ho\u0161kov\u00e1-Mayerov\u00e1, M., Bekesiene, S., and Be\u0148ov\u00e1, P. (2021). Securing Schools against Terrorist Attacks. Safety, 7.","key":"ref_2","DOI":"10.3390\/safety7010013"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"120224","DOI":"10.1016\/j.eswa.2023.120224","article-title":"A dynamic emergency planning system for relocating vulnerable people to safe shelters in response to heat waves","volume":"228","author":"Yazdani","year":"2023","journal-title":"Expert Syst. Appl."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"110629","DOI":"10.1016\/j.knosys.2023.110629","article-title":"Elderly people evacuation planning in response to extreme flood events using optimisation-based decision-making systems: A case study in western Sydney, Australia","volume":"274","author":"Yazdani","year":"2023","journal-title":"Knowl.-Based Syst."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"106171","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ssci.2023.106171","article-title":"Hospital evacuation in large-scale disasters using limited aerial transport resources","volume":"164","author":"Yazdani","year":"2023","journal-title":"Saf. Sci."},{"unstructured":"Coelho, A.L. (2023, July 22). Modela\u00e7\u00e3o Matem\u00e1tica da Evacua\u00e7\u00e3o de Edif\u00edcios Sujeitos \u00e0 A\u00e7\u00e3o de um Inc\u00eandio [Doutoramento em Engenharia Civil, Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto]. RAUP. Available online: http:\/\/hdl.handle.net\/10216\/12585.","key":"ref_6"},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"106","DOI":"10.1016\/j.future.2022.01.015","article-title":"Disaster emergency response framework for smart buildings","volume":"131","author":"Saini","year":"2022","journal-title":"Futur. Gener. Comput. Syst."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1016\/j.firesaf.2009.08.005","article-title":"Building safety and human behaviour in fire: A literature review","volume":"45","author":"Kobes","year":"2010","journal-title":"Fire Saf. J."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1186\/s40038-014-0005-z","article-title":"Risk perception in fire evacuation behavior revisited: Definitions, related concepts, and empirical evidence","volume":"4","author":"Kinateder","year":"2015","journal-title":"Fire Sci. Rev."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"101598","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jobe.2020.101598","article-title":"Performance-based design in emergency evacuation: From maneuver to simulation in school design","volume":"33","author":"Rostami","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Build. Eng."},{"unstructured":"Cristo, M. (2023, January 13). Abordagem da Seguran\u00e7a, Higiene e Sa\u00fade na Organiza\u00e7\u00e3o e Gest\u00e3o Escolar [Mestrado em Ambiente, Higiene e Seguran\u00e7a em Meio Escolar, Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Sa\u00fade do Porto]. ESS.IPP. Available online: http:\/\/hdl.handle.net\/10400.22\/705.","key":"ref_11"},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"100428","DOI":"10.1016\/j.entcom.2021.100428","article-title":"Improving Learners\u2019 Assessment and Evaluation in Crisis Management Serious Games: An Emotion-based Educational Data Mining Approach","volume":"38","author":"Daoudi","year":"2021","journal-title":"Entertain. Comput."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"6","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jchas.2018.05.002","article-title":"Safety culture and safety compliance in academic laboratories: A Canadian perspective","volume":"25","author":"Ayi","year":"2018","journal-title":"J. Chem. Health Saf."},{"doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Zhang, C., Hong, W.-H., and Bae, Y.-H. (2022). Fire Safety Knowledge of Firefighting Equipment among Local and Foreign University Students. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 19.","key":"ref_14","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph191912239"},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"101805","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijdrr.2020.101805","article-title":"Disaster risk management insight on school emergency preparedness\u2014A case study of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan","volume":"51","author":"Shah","year":"2020","journal-title":"Int. J. Disaster Risk Reduct."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"324","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijdrr.2017.09.035","article-title":"Are you ready? Emergency preparedness in New Zealand schools","volume":"25","author":"Tipler","year":"2017","journal-title":"Int. J. Disaster Risk Reduct."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"399","DOI":"10.1177\/0013124506298130","article-title":"Are Schools Prepared for Emergencies? A Baseline Assessment of Emergency Preparedness at School Sites in Three Los Angeles County School Districts","volume":"39","author":"Kano","year":"2011","journal-title":"Educ. Urban Soc."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"101280","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijdrr.2019.101280","article-title":"Geo-hydrological and seismic risk awareness at school: Emergency preparedness and risk perception evaluation","volume":"40","author":"Bandecchi","year":"2019","journal-title":"Int. J. Disaster Risk Reduct."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"103189","DOI":"10.1016\/j.firesaf.2020.103189","article-title":"Experimental study of leader-and-follower behaviours during emergency evacuation","volume":"117","author":"Ding","year":"2020","journal-title":"Fire Saf. J."},{"doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Arewa, A.O., Ahmed, A., Edwards, D.J., and Nwankwo, C. (2021). Fire Safety in High-Rise Buildings: Is the Stay-Put Tactic a Misjudgement or Magnificent Strategy?. Buildings, 11.","key":"ref_20","DOI":"10.3390\/buildings11080339"},{"unstructured":"Zmud, M. (2007). Public Perceptions of High Rise Building Safety and Emergency Evacuation Procedures Research Project, The Fire Protection Research Foundation.","key":"ref_21"},{"unstructured":"(2022, November 30). Salgado RSAC. Conhecimento Geral e Atitudes Sobre Seguran\u00e7a e Atua\u00e7\u00e3o em Emerg\u00eancia em Edif\u00edcios Escolares: Um Estudo Preliminar Sobre Emerg\u00eancia em Edif\u00edcios. [Mestrado em Higiene e Seguran\u00e7a nas Organiza\u00e7\u00f5es, Escola Superior de Sa\u00fade\u2014IPP]. IPP. Available online: http:\/\/hdl.handle.net\/10400.22\/15380.","key":"ref_22"},{"unstructured":"Marrafa, J.F.F. (2022, November 30). Seguran\u00e7a em Situa\u00e7\u00e3o de Emerg\u00eancia: A Import\u00e2ncia dos Ocupantes. [Mestrado em Seguran\u00e7a e Higiene do Trabalho, Escola Superior de Ci\u00eancias Empresariais]. IPS. Available online: http:\/\/hdl.handle.net\/10400.26\/11112.","key":"ref_23"},{"doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Cordeiro, E.C. (2023, January 14). Modela\u00e7\u00e3o do Comportamento Humano em Caso de Inc\u00eandio [Doutoramento em Engenharia Civil, Universidade da Beira Interior]. Ubibliorum. Available online: http:\/\/hdl.handle.net\/10400.6\/12259.","key":"ref_24","DOI":"10.21814\/ecum.5713"},{"unstructured":"Ferreira, A.C. (2023, January 14). Plano de Evacua\u00e7\u00e3o de Emerg\u00eancia: Um Estudo de Caso no Col\u00e9gio Militar 2 de Julho, Unidade 3, Liceu Ribamarense II. [Universidade Estadual do Maranh\u00e3o]. Available online: http:\/\/repositorio.uema.br\/jspui\/handle\/123456789\/962.","key":"ref_25"},{"doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Al-Zyoud, W., Qunies, A.M., Walters, A.U.C., and Jalsa, N.K. (2019). Perceptions of Chemical Safety in Laboratories. Safety, 5.","key":"ref_26","DOI":"10.3390\/safety5020021"},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"105919","DOI":"10.1016\/j.nedt.2023.105919","article-title":"Comparing the effectiveness of board game-based and drill-based education programs in improving Taiwanese nurses\u2019 fire safety knowledge, attitudes, and behavior: A quasi-experimental study","volume":"129","author":"Hsieh","year":"2023","journal-title":"Nurse Educ. Today"},{"unstructured":"Freitas, D.R. (2023, January 14). Fatores que Influenciam a Evacua\u00e7\u00e3o de Edif\u00edcios [Mestrado em Engenharia e Gest\u00e3o Industrial, Escola de Engenharia da Universidade do Minho]. UMinho. Available online: https:\/\/hdl.handle.net\/1822\/19586.","key":"ref_28"},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"105232","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ssci.2021.105232","article-title":"Development of an evacuation model considering the impact of stress variation on evacuees under fire emergency","volume":"138","author":"Cao","year":"2021","journal-title":"Saf. Sci."},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"103954","DOI":"10.1016\/j.firesaf.2023.103954","article-title":"Online experiments and regression analysis of evacuation decisions in response to fire alarms","volume":"141","author":"Balboa","year":"2023","journal-title":"Fire Saf. J."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"103595","DOI":"10.1016\/j.firesaf.2022.103595","article-title":"A pre-evacuation study using data from evacuation drills and false alarm evacuations in a university library","volume":"131","author":"Lovreglio","year":"2022","journal-title":"Fire Saf. J."},{"doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Kuo, T.-W., Lin, C.-Y., Chuang, Y.-J., and Hsiao, G.L.-K. (2022). Using Smartphones for Indoor Fire Evacuation. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 19.","key":"ref_32","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph19106061"}],"container-title":["Safety"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2313-576X\/10\/1\/3\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T21:39:50Z","timestamp":1760132390000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2313-576X\/10\/1\/3"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2023,12,21]]},"references-count":32,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,3]]}},"alternative-id":["safety10010003"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/safety10010003","relation":{},"ISSN":["2313-576X"],"issn-type":[{"type":"electronic","value":"2313-576X"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2023,12,21]]}}}