ABSTRACT
There are two sides to safety and good practices in insectaries: the protection of the personnel and the protection of the insects whose high-quality and economic production is the main mission of the insectary. It is the responsibility of the insectary’s management staff to assure that its workers are protected from threats to their health and well-being in the workplace, and it is further the responsibility of the workers themselves to protect themselves and their fellow workers in the execution of their duties. It is also the responsibility of all insectary personnel to carry out their duties to the best of their abilities to strive to produce a healthy population of insects that are of the highest possible quality Fortunately, these two charges are mutually inclusive. What emerges as a felicitous bottom line is that the precautions that are good for human well-being in insectaries are also good for the insects. The simple truth behind this issue is that good understanding of their jobs (i.e., education) makes insectary workers more efficient, capable, and safer employees, and their products profit from their more enlightened approach to doing their jobs.
