The Missouri Underground Facility Safety and Damage Prevention statute (RSMo Chapter 319) provides for a notification center to be used by participating utilities to receive locate requests. Missouri One Call System, Inc. (MOCS), operating as a non-profit Missouri corporation, is such a notification center providing a single-point of contact for notification to its members through a state wide toll-free telephone number operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week. MOCS was established in 1986 and currently is providing statewide services to utilities and excavators to comply with the law. This law applies to any person excavating in the state of Missouri.

MOCS was established as a means to protect underground facilities and assist excavators and utilities in complying with Missouri's statute and OSHA Rules 1926.651. By using the service that MOCS provides, the general public's safety and the environment also are protected.

Using the MOCS system correctly is easy, if you know how.

When you call or use the internet to contact MOCS, you will be asked for specifics about the planned excavation. Once this information is processed by the computer, you will be given a list of member utilities that will be notified of your excavation. The computer then sends this locate request to all member utilities with facilities in your dig site area. After the utility has been notified of the planned excavation, they will mark the "approximate location" of their underground lines or advise you there are no facilities in your area.

After it is determined that markings are required, the locate request will be dispatched to a field locator who will locate and mark the excavation site with paint, stakes, or flags. Members mark their facilities according to specific guidelines and color codes.

Upon agreement of the excavator and the facility owner, location may be provided by alternative means such as an on-site meeting or other conference.

Either party may request an on-site meeting to clarify markings, which must occur within 2 working days of the request for this meeting.