What is a recommended practice for ensuring safety while applying pesticides?

Reading and adhering to label instructions is a foundational practice for ensuring safety while applying pesticides. Pesticide labels provide essential information regarding the proper application methods, required protective gear, dilution rates, and safe handling procedures. This information is crucial for minimizing risks to the applicator, non-target organisms, and the environment.

By following the label instructions, applicators can ensure they are using the pesticide safely and effectively, which includes applying it at the recommended rates and using necessary protective equipment. This not only protects the health of the applicator but also reduces the potential for pesticide drift or environmental contamination.

The other options present practices that disregard safety protocols. For example, ignoring protective gear exposes the applicator to harmful substances, and using a higher concentration than recommended increases the risk of toxicity. Applying pesticides during windy conditions can lead to drift, causing unintended exposure to people or wildlife. Hence, the best practice is to always comply with the label instructions.