Louisiana State Police
Emergency Services Unit
The Emergency Services Unit
is comprised of:
• Explosives Control
• HazMat
• Right-to-Know
• Tier II
• HazMat Hotline
• HazMat Violations
• Training
ESU Goals and Objectives
1. Public Safety & Education
 Provide for public safety through education and
enforcement of regulations and statutes.
2. Training and Equipment
 Maintain adequate personnel, training and equipment to
enable responders to adequately respond to incidents.
3. Enforcement
 Enforce State and Federal regulations.
4. Support
 Provide technical information, response and logistical
support to the Department, other State, Federal and
Local Agencies.
HazMat Unit’s Authority
• Authority is derived from:
LARS 30:2361 thru 2380 (Right-to-Know)
LARS 32:1501 et seq (Transportation & Motor Carrier Safety)
LARS 40:1379 (Duties of police officers)
LAC Title 33 V – chapter 101 (Environmental Quality)
Title III of SARA required that the Governor designate a State
Emergency Response Commission (SERC)
• The Office of State Police acts as the SERC in Louisiana
• The SERC appoints Local Emergency Planning Committees
(LEPC) for each parish
• The SERC is responsible for supervising and coordinating the
activities of the LEPC, and establishing procedures for
receiving and processing public requests for information
Louisiana Revised Statutes, Title 40
Public Health and Safety
PART VIII. Underground Utilities and Facilities
§1749.11. Short title; purpose
A. This Part shall be known and may be cited as the
“Louisiana Underground Utilities and Facilities Damage
Prevention Law.”
B. It is the public policy of this state to promote the
protection of property, workmen, and citizens in the
immediate vicinity of an underground utility or facility
from damage, death, or injury and to promote the health
and well-being of the community by preventing the
interruption of essential services which may result from
the destruction of, or damage to underground facilities
or utilities.
• In 1988, the "Louisiana Underground
Utilities and Facilities Damage Prevention
Law“ became effective. This law requires
excavators and demolishers to call a
regional notification center at least 48
hours before they begin work.
• It also requires owner/operators of
underground facilities to mark locations or
supply information that will enable
excavators and demolishers to locate
underground utilities and facilities.
Underground Utility Reporting
1. Each excavator or demolisher, including cable
television owners or operators, shall serve
telephonic notice to the regional notification
center, LAONECALL.
Excavation or demolition in any street, highway,
public place or servitude, or near the location of
an underground facility or utility or on the
premises of a customer served by an
underground utility must have a locate ticket.
Underground facility or utility means any pipe,
conduit, duct, wire, cable, valve, line, fiber optic
equipment, or structure which is buried or placed
below ground or submerged for use in
connection with storage, conveyance, transmission,
or protection of electronics communication system,
telephone or telegraph system, or fiber optic,
electric energy, oil, natural gas, gas, gases, steam,
mixture of gases, petroleum, petroleum products,
hazardous or flammable fluids/gases, toxic or
corrosive fluids/gases, hazardous fluids/gases, or
other substances of like nature or water or water
systems, sewer systems or traffic, drainage control
systems, or other items of like nature.
2. Call must be made at least forty eight (48) hours before
excavating.
Expires after 10 days.
Call for a new ticket on Day 8.
Excavation or excavate means any operation for the
purpose of movement or removal of earth, rock, or other
materials in or on the ground by the use of powered or
mechanical or manual means, including pile driving,
digging, blasting, auguring, boring, back filling, dredging,
compressing, plowing-in, trenching, ditching, tunneling,
land-leveling, grading, and mechanical probing.
3. There is a provision for an emergency excavation.
Precautions to Avoid Damage
RS 40:1749:16
• Plan the excavation or demolition to avoid
damage
• Maintain a safe clearance between the utility
and the cutting edge or point of any powered
equipment
• Provide support for utilities during excavation
and back filling
• Dig test pits to determine the actual location of
the utility
Underground Utility
Violations
1. If no OneCall is made.
2. If the waiting period is not honored.
3. If a cut utility is not reported.
4. If a contractor refused to stop after a utility is cut.
5. Failure to take precautions.
6. Failure to mark or incorrectly mark a utility.
Report violations to the Louisiana
Hazmat Hotline
225-925-6595
Or Toll Free
877-925-6595
Incident # 06-06389
October 12, 2006
A spud from a barge hit a pipeline
It resulted in a……
• Fire, explosion, injuries and fatalities.
It fell under the regulations for……
• Transportation – a barge
• Underground Utility - locate
Stats
Prior to 2007 – no underground utility violations issued
2007 - 64
2008 – 144
2009 – 164
148 – first time offenders
8 - second time offenders
5 - third time offenders
3 - fourth time offenders
2010 ytd – 146
Of the 9000(+,-) incoming calls to the hotline –
approximately 42% are natural gas incidents
For additional information, please contact
Mr Gene Dunegan
Program Manager
Emergency Services Unit
(225) 925-6113 ext 253