People involved in a hazardous-material incident or cleanup must immediately notify the department in specified serious situations.
§1510. Reporting of incidents, accidents, and cleanups A. Each person involved in an incident, accident, or the cleanup of an incident or accident during the transportation, loading, unloading, or related storage in any place of a hazardous material subject to this Chapter shall report immediately by electronic or telephonic notification to the department if that incident, accident, or cleanup of an incident or accident involves: (1) A fatality due to fire, explosion, or exposure to any hazardous material. (2) The hospitalization of any person due to fire, explosion, or exposure to any hazardous material. (3)(a) A continuing danger to life, health, or property at the place of the incident or accident under any of the following circumstances: (i) The incident or accident results in the release of a hazardous material, as defined in Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations. (ii) As a result of the incident or accident, a bulk package of a regulated hazardous material as defined in Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, comes to rest at an angle forty-five degrees or more from the upright position. (iii) It is deemed necessary to transfer a hazardous material, as defined in Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, from one bulk package to another bulk package on a public highway or within five hundred feet of an inhabited building. (b) Vehicles suffering mechanical failures completely unrelated to the transportation container or the material contained therein, shall not be required to notify under this Paragraph. (4) An estimated property damage of more than ten thousand dollars. B. A written report shall be submitted to the department on an approved form. Each report submitted shall contain the time and date of the incident or accident, a description of any injuries to persons or property, any continuing danger to life at the place of the accident or incident, the identity and classification of the material, and any other pertinent details. C. In the case of an incident or accident involving hazardous materials which is not subject to this Chapter but which is subject to Title 49 and Title 46 of the Code of Federal Regulations, the carrier shall send a copy of the report filed with the United States Department of Transportation to the department. D. The secretary shall adopt and promulgate rules and regulations in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act to coordinate the implementation of a transportation emergency response system. E.(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the provisions of this Section shall not apply to any incidents, accidents, or cleanup of incidents or accidents that occur within a facility that is subject to the release reporting requirements of R.S. 30:2373(B) and is engaged in activities defined or classified under one or more of the following subsectors, industry groups, or industries of the 1997 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS): (a) 211 (oil and gas extraction). (b) 22111 (electric power generation). (c) 3221 (pulp, paper, and paperboard mills). (d) 324 (petroleum and coal products manufacturing). (e) 325 (chemical manufacturing). (f) 326 (plastics and rubber products manufacturing). (g) 331 (primary metal manufacturing). (h) 4953 (refuse systems). (i) 4212 (local trucking without storage). (j) 4789 (trucking without storage). (2) Notwithstanding the provisions of Paragraph (1) of this Subsection, this Section shall apply to any carrier involved in any incident, accident, or cleanup of an incident or accident which occurs outside the perimeter of any facility exempted from this Section pursuant to Paragraph (1) of this Subsection. (3) The secretary may develop rules and regulations to implement and clarify the reporting requirements of this Subsection and to address any changes in federal law, rules, or regulations. Added by Acts 1979, No. 83, §1. Amended by Acts 1980, No. 603, §1, eff. July 23, 1980; Acts 1984, No. 327, §1; Acts 1985, No. 497, §1, eff. July 12, 1985; Acts 1999, No. 355, §2, eff. June 16, 1999; Acts 2004, No. 107, §1; Acts 2014, No. 311, §2.