JOYSOL B. TAMIO January 2021

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A PROPOSED ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT MODEL OF CHEMISTRY LABORATORY: FROM PROCEDURE AWARENESS AND LABORATORY PRACTICES TO EXTENT OF CONFORMANCE TO ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Chapter IV

Summary, Conclusion, and Recommendations

The research aimed to determine the extent of awareness of the students, and chemistry teachers and laboratory technicians with regards to usage of chemicals and safety in the laboratory. Moreover, it is also targeted to find the extent of practice of the students, and chemistry teachers and laboratory technicians in terms of handling and storage of reagents and disposal of wastes from the experiments and from the storage area. After identifying the extent of awareness and practice, the significant difference between the students’ and teachers/technicians’ responses were then verified. Based on the quantitative and qualitative analysis, it can be concluded that the chemistry teachers and laboratory technicians have significantly higher level of awareness with regards to usage of chemicals compared to the students. Whereas the results of the t-Test for: the extent of awareness with regards to safety in the laboratory; extent of practice in terms of storage and handling of reagents; and extent of practice in terms of wastes disposal, express that there is no significant difference on the mean scores and standard deviations of the students’ group, and the teachers and laboratory technicians’ group. Revealing the verbal interpretation, they are moderately aware of the procedural use of chemicals and how to behave in case of untoward occurrences. Additionally, both groups resulted that, they moderately practice good laboratory practices with regards to storage and handling the reagents, and disposal of laboratory wastes. Another objective is to measure and compare the answers of both groups focusing on the extent of conformance to Environmental Management System of their respective chemistry laboratories.

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JOYSOL B. TAMIO January 2021

Statistically, it turned out that they are both Highly Conforming with no significant difference. To solve the problem on the significant relationship between each category under procedure awareness and laboratory practice, and the extent of conformance to EMS, it turned out that the usage of chemicals has a negligible and positive correlation with the extent of conformance to EMS while the rest has moderate and positive correlation with the extent of conformance to EMS.

Achieving this insignificant relationship, the researcher did further test in order to find possible significant relationships involving the Conformance to EMS and Usage of Chemicals. As a result, the three other variables turned out to be correlated with the Usage of Chemicals. Safety in the laboratory, Handling and Storage and, Laboratory Waste Disposal are the three variables that is found out to be the mediating variables.

The chosen data gathering procedure was able to help towards a well-represented and reasonable result for both the quantitative and qualitative analyses. The insights of the experts to come up with an accepted and suitable instrument was very effective. The generated Environmental Management Model for Chemistry Laboratories, known as the TAMSS- Chemistry Laboratory, was completed reliable and extensive because of all the gained materials, results and, further examination. This may be used as an example for all the Philippine schools who decided to take a step higher for their science laboratories and comply with the national and international requirements.

This research clearly illustrates that the assessment of the students, chemistry teachers and laboratory technicians’ degree of procedure awareness and laboratory practice is a very functional tool to analyze how their current system impact the perception

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JOYSOL B. TAMIO January 2021

of the people involved, the health and safety, and the environment. It also raises the urgent need for national standards compliance in every chemistry laboratory as a prerequisite mechanism towards chemical and environmental management system.

Based on these conclusions, Philippine schools, colleges, and universities must realize the implications of this study and consider applying them appropriately. They may also look for improvements and updates from different national bureau and participate in related trainings and seminars. An Environmental Management Guide or Module written for Philippine Schools’ Chemistry Laboratory is recommended to be the next project after this study. Future studies could also be addressed in other science laboratories that generate wastes like the biology, and food laboratories.

Now is the time to promote a culture of chemical laboratory safety and security.

Institutions must establish general guidelines including setting standards, keeping records, necessary trainings of laboratory personnel and implementing laboratory policies and standards for emergency response. Promoting them will give impact not just on students, but on everyone who will share their future work environments (National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, 2016).