"Positive response" refers to the practice that some facility owning companies have of informing the excavator in some way that despite being notified of their work, the facility owner does not have any facilities in the area, or that there is "no conflict" between the excavator and their facilities.

Some examples of what a "positive response" is include: a clear flag that signifies "no conflict" and has the ticket number written on it, a form letter that gets mailed to the excavator notifying them of "no conflict," or even a phone call to the excavator.

In the past, it was common for utilities to give the excavator a "positive response," but with no statutory requirements to do so and cost becoming an issue, "positive response" was practiced with less frequency.

Not providing an excavator with some form of "positive response" poses some serious risks. First it leaves the excavator with a difficult dilemma, are there no facilities for that company on site or has that company not yet located their facilities for some reason? As a facility owner, do you want an excavator making that determination themselves?

Most excavators, if they do not see markings, will call Diggers Hotline back and then be directed to call the utility or contract locator directly. Some will just assume everything is o.k. and begin digging.

"Positive response" clears up that confusion. If excavators grow used to clear flags being present when there is "no conflict," they will know to call the facility owners when no markings are present at all. They will grow to learn that no markings at all means something is wrong and additional care is necessary.