TRESPASS AND INSURANCE 1151 



parish in which work is done, and the District Road Commissioner of 

 the specific parish in which work is contemplated must be advised when 

 the work is initiated. Before the field party undertakes its work all of 

 this information can be obtained as a general rule from the Division of 

 Highways of the State in which the work is to be conducted. Highways 

 which are within the incorporated limits of cities are generally supervised 

 by municipal authorities, and in addition to obtaining the permission 

 of the State Highway Commission a permit should be obtained from 

 such local authorities. 



It is best to secure from an attorney practicing in the locality in which 

 the geophysical work is being done a simple form of receipt and discharge 

 to be presented to and signed by the landowner after the geophysical party 

 has completed its work. In the event there is no attorney available, the 

 previously presented forms will in most cases be sufficient. 



Insurance for Geophysical Operations 



One of the requisites in successful geophysical operations is adequate 

 insurance which will serve as a protection against the expenditure of 

 substantial sums of money in defense of actions for alleged trespasses 

 involving property damage or personal injury. Inadequate insurance or 

 coverage is a hazard which no reputable geophysical operator should 

 assume, yet unnecessary insurance or coverage is not only an added expense, 

 but an economic waste. 



The most common forms of liability encountered by an exploration 

 company are: (1) injury or death of employees on and away from the 

 premises of the company, (2) injury or death of members of the public 

 resulting from operations on and away from the premises of the company, 

 (3) damage to or destruction of the property of others resulting from 

 operations on and away from the premises of the company, (4) injury or 

 death of others and damage to property of others arising out of operation 

 of motor vehicles owned by or operated by or for the company, (5) loss 

 by fire, and (6) theft of equipment. 



Unfortunately, insurance coverages can not be tabulated in a simple 

 table, due to the diversity of operating methods and conditions encoun- 

 tered in field operations. 



The insurance rates vary with the duties of the employees. For 

 example, the base or beginning rate for an office employee may be six 

 cents per $100.00 of salary received, while for field operators handling 

 explosives the beginning rate may be $2.02 per $100.00 of such payroll. 

 Generally, the rating provides for a credit or debit based upon past exper- 

 ience (record of accidents). The employer, therefore, over a period of time 

 more or less makes his own rates. For this reason, it is to the employer's 

 benefit to teach his employees to think "safety" at all times. 



In all cases, careful consideration must be given to the reliability of 

 the insuring company and the extent of its operations. For example, it is 



