Laboratories and Insectaries — Integrated Pest Management at Every Biosafety Level
In a research laboratory the specific pest requirements come from biosafety documents; OSHA's workplace sanitation standard, 1910.141(a)(5), applies to laboratories as workplaces. The biosafety item is broad: BMBL places an integrated pest management program among the standard practices at the lowest biosafety level and at every level above it.
What governs this zone
| Document | What it says | How it binds |
|---|---|---|
| BMBL 6th ed., Section IV and Appendix G | “An effective integrated pest management program is implemented. See Appendix G.” (BSL-1 through BSL-4) | Advisory by its own terms; carries force where an institution adopts it. Referred to by the NIH Guidelines and by 42 CFR 73.12(c) (“should consider”) |
| NIH Guidelines, Appendix G | “An insect and rodent control program is in effect.” (BL1, BL2, BL4; BL3 reads “an insect and rodent program”) | Condition of NIH funding, for all non-exempt covered research at the institution regardless of funding source |
| Arthropod Containment Guidelines 3.2 | A program to keep wild arthropods and rodents out; harborage reduced or eliminated by level; trapping to monitor escapes | Advisory by its own terms; referenced by the NIH Guidelines and BMBL |
| 42 CFR 73.12(c) | An entity developing its select agent biosafety plan “should consider” BMBL | Registered select agent entities only |
From Appendix G
BMBL's Appendix G addresses technical expertise directly: “A qualified entomologist can provide helpful technical guidance to develop and implement an IPM program. Pest management personnel should be licensed and certified by the appropriate regulatory agency(s).” It is written as a recommendation.
What Appendix G describes
Monitoring as the central activity, used to minimize pesticide use; sanitation and repairs that exclude pests, with records of structural deficiencies and whether they were corrected; a staff member designated to meet with IPM personnel; a logbook; non-pesticide methods such as trapping, exclusion, and caulking; preventive pesticide applications discouraged, treatments restricted to areas of known pest activity, the least toxic products available, and fogging avoided; and ongoing quality assurance.
What a finding looks like
There is no public inspection record for laboratories. Findings come from the institution's own biosafety and IBC inspections, and, for select agent laboratories, from federal select agent inspections, whose results this reference did not find in public form.
Records that show the requirements were met
- The IPM policy statement in the laboratory or building standard operating procedures
- The Appendix G logbook: pest activity and conditions, IPM protocols, Safety Data Sheets, labels, treatment records, floor plans, survey reports
- For insectaries, the pest exclusion program and escape-monitoring trap records
- Quality assurance and program review results
Cite This Page
Suggested citation
Frazer, Trenton S. “Laboratories and Insectaries — Integrated Pest Management at Every Biosafety Level.” University Pest Reference. https://universitypestreference.org/zones/laboratories/. Accessed [access date].
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