Flagging & Traffic Control Training Course

A traffic guard, traffic controller, flagman, or flagger is a person who directs traffic through a construction site or other temporary traffic control zone past an area using gestures, signs or flags.

The person directing traffic is responsible for maintaining the safety and efficiency of traffic, as well as the safety of road workers while allowing construction, accident recovery or other tasks to proceed.

Traffic guards are commonly used to control traffic when two way roads are reduced to one lane, and traffic must alternate.

Their duties are to direct traffic to safer areas where construction or traffic incidents are taking place. In addition they have to moderate the traffic density to not cause traffic jams.

They guide motorists to follow the traffic laws; but may not be able to enforce the law.

Roadway work zones are hazardous both for motorists who drive through the complex array of signs, barrels, and lane changes and for workers who build, repair, and maintain our country's streets, bridges, and highways.

Following are some statistics on fatalities in construction and maintenance work zones *sourced from the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention; Fatalities in construction and maintenance work zones averaged 778 from 1994 through 1999, 1060 from 2000 through 2006, and 669 from 2007 through 2012.

Fatalities in construction and maintenance work zones reach a peak of 1,095 in 2003, declining to 609 in 2012.

This 4 hour Traffic Control Training & Flagging Training in Calgary was developed collaboratively by the Alberta Construction Safety Association, Alberta Road builders and Heavy Construction Association, Alberta Transportation, and the Cities of Edmonton and Calgary.

Course Objectives:

• Traffic control plans

• Components of the traffic control zone

• Responsibilities of the traffic control person

• Temporary traffic control signs and devices

• Erecting and removing signage and/or barricades

• Loading and transporting traffic control devices

• Device maintenance and record keeping practices