Office of Conservation

Gov. Bobby Jindal proclaims May as “Safe Digging Month”

In Gibson, La. the students at Bayou Black Elementary know what’s in their backyard. These 3rd and 4th graders also know what 811 means. And according to Shell Oil’s representative Ed Landgraf, who works with youth all across the state, students do a great job of bringing the message home. Shell Oil is a major sponsor of the America’s Wetland campaign as well as a supporter of the Call 811 Before You Dig efforts in Louisiana. During the month of May, Ed could be spotted moving about the state talking about underground pipeline safety. In this photo, taken May 10th - Ed’s safety presentation included reminding the students that a pipeline transporting crude oil is not far from their school. Pictured L to R: Shane Degruise, Shell; Trudy Begue, Bayou Black School Principal; Ed Landgraf, Shell; Chris Files, Shell and Bayou Black students holding Frisbees with the message “Know What’s Below – Call 811 Before You Dig”. Safety presentations were conducted at Bourg Elementary and Montegut Middle schools. Exhibits were shown at the La. Emergency Responders Association in Lake Charles and at the Terrebonne Academic Excellence festival.

Gov. Bobby Jindal has proclaimed the Month of May as “Safe Digging Month” in the state of Louisiana to support and promote state and national Call-Before-You-Dig efforts.

The state Department of Natural Resources, along with Louisiana One Call and the Office of Public Safety are partners in providing education and promoting the awareness of the national Call-Before-You-Dig effort. State law requires notification of Louisiana One Call before digging operations begin.

 “Simply calling 811 before work begins will help ensure that underground utility lines are not struck and that there is no personal harm or damage to pipelines, wires or cables,” said DNR Secretary Scott Angelle.

DNR has been successful in getting grants to State Police for assisting with the enforcement arm of keeping people and neighborhoods safe from hazards related to digging accidents.

According to DNR Office of Conservation Pipeline Safety Director Brent Campbell, there are annual training and safety seminars held for these groups to keep them on top of damage prevention initiatives and issues.

“Protecting the underground infrastructure is a shared responsibility and we want people to know to call 811 before beginning any digging project,” Campbell said.

Louisiana One Call’s Damage Prevention Manager David Frey says that more than 3,000 calls per day come into their call center. “We support the Common Ground Alliance and we work with them to protect excavators and demolishers, as well as our members’ underground lines.  Anyone can call us free.” said Frey.

Once a call is received, a professional locator will go to the proposed site to mark the location of buried lines to prevent disruption, outages and personal injury.

Louisiana law requires citizens who are planning excavation or demolition work to notify Louisiana One Call, and there is no charge for the service.  If you are putting up a fence, installing a mailbox or building a deck, call at least 2 days before starting your project.

“As warmer weather approaches, homeowners, contractors and many others are ready to start work on outdoor projects. But before breaking ground, it is important to remember to call Louisiana One Call to make sure the work is done safely ,” Gov. Jindal said.  “The service is free, simple to use and can help prevent lost time, lost money and potential injury that can come with cutting a utility line."

Related Documents: Proclamation (4mb)