Development of a Chemical Inventory Management System in Science Laboratories

Abstract

       Chemical management in science laboratories plays a crucial role in enhancing the effectiveness and safety of both teaching and research activities. However, manual or semi-automated data recording methods often face challenges in terms of accuracy, timeliness, and the risk of using expired chemicals. Furthermore, the lack of integrated data hinders decision-making for the proper disposal of expired or unused chemicals. This study aims to develop a chemical inventory management system for science laboratories. The system is designed as a web application to manage chemical information and disbursement processes within the Chemistry, Biology, Physics, and Environmental Science laboratories of the Faculty of Science and Technology, Uttaradit Rajabhat University. The developed system features real-time chemical inventory tracking, automated alerts for low stock levels and approaching expiration dates, role-based access control, and report generation tools that support efficient and sustainable chemical disposal planning. The system was built using a Module-Model-View-Controller (MMVC) architecture on the Kotchasan PHP Framework, integrated with a MySQL database. This architecture enables comprehensive chemical inventory management, including chemical intake, disbursement, usage tracking, and reporting. The user satisfaction assessment, conducted with a sample group of 40 participants comprising lecturers, staff, and students, revealed a very high satisfaction level, with an average score of 4.63 and a standard deviation of 0.61. This indicates that the developed system possesses strong potential to enhance the efficiency of chemical inventory management in science laboratories, improve safety, and support sustainable resource management.