ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Occupational Health and Safety
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1604003
This article is part of the Research TopicEvaluating Organizational Health Culture: Tools and Impact on Workplace Health InterventionsView all 9 articles
Contribution of Universities Health and Safety Services in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals
Provisionally accepted
Mónica Samper Rivas1
Ciro Luis Salcines Suarez2Pablo López-Roldán3Sonia Rosa4
Diana Monge Martín5
Enrique Colino6*- 1Safety, Health and Welfare Service, Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, Madrid, Spain
- 2Health and Safety Unit, Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Spain
- 3Occupational Risk Prevention Service, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain
- 4Service for Human Resources and Organisation & Prevention of Occupational Risks, Universidad Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- 5Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, Madrid, Spain
- 6Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Spain
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Universities play a pivotal role in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda through their educational mission, research activities, and contributions to social wellbeing, economic progress, and social cohesion. Beyond their conventional functions, universities can contribute to sustainability through the specific actions of their Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) services. This study explores the contribution of university OHS services to the achievement of the SDGs within the Spanish higher education system. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among Spanish universities to identify OHS actions linked to the SDGs and to assess their institutional impact. The study presents a structured methodology that classifies OHS actions into specific and general categories, mapped across three strategic dimensions: person, environment, and culture. Results reveal that OHS services contribute to a wide range of SDGs, extending beyond the traditionally recognized SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). This research provides an original SDG Impact Matrix that highlights the multidimensional role of OHS services in fostering sustainability within universities. The findings offer valuable insights for integrating OHS strategies into institutional sustainability policies and expanding their role as active agents in the advancement of the 2030 Agenda.
Keywords: higher education, sustainability, Sustainable development goals, Occupational Health & Safety, University
Received: 01 Apr 2025; Accepted: 17 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Samper Rivas, Salcines Suarez, López-Roldán, Rosa, Monge Martín and Colino. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Enrique Colino, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Spain
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