Contractors and the general public often work together on construction projects, and this can lead to risks that need to be properly managed. When traffic gets in the way of a project, it’s common to close the road. When this isn’t possible, contractors need traffic control people, who are also called flagpersons, flaggers, or signalers. Traffic Control Persons for Construction Flagger.
The Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOSH) that the roles of a traffic control person are:
- Keeping traffic moving through construction sites in a safe way by stopping, slowing down, or directing them.
- Regulating traffic as needed to keep workers safe from harm.
- The best way to make sure drivers know what to do is to give them clear directions and signals.
- The goal is to control traffic without causing more congestion or delays than necessary.
- All traffic control workers in most Canadian provinces and territories must be trained, and each jurisdiction has its own rules. In this class, you will learn about the Ontario Traffic Manual and OSHA safety rules. The International Competency Assessment Board (I-CAB) also recognises the course and lists it as a resource for people who are taking an I-CAB assessment.
In construction projects, traffic control is used to achieve four main goals:
- Construction workers and the general public should be kept safe.
- Optimizing traffic: Stopping cars as needed to protect workers, but letting them move at a slower speed to avoid congestion and delays.
- Allowing project activities to move quickly while still protecting people’s safety
- Putting drivers ahead of construction equipment.
- Traffic control people are also in charge of directing motorcycle drivers and pedestrians, because they are also at risk.
List of things covered in the class
- The Traffic Control Person for Construction Training online course talks about how to keep people from getting hit by cars while they’re working on a road. It also talks about how to keep people from breaking the law. The course talks about personal protective equipment (PPE), traffic control in different situations, and general safety rules.
- The Traffic Control Person – Temporary Conditions online course teaches you how to:
- Getting the right safety gear is important.
- In this example, people use hand signals and STOP/SLOW signs to tell each other to stop or slow down.
- Workers and supervisors have a lot to do.
- Prepare for a job as a traffic controller
- Traffic control system layouts and the best place to put them
- A traffic control person has a lot of power.
- This information is spread out over five chapters.
- Requirements and rules for traffic control
- Roles and Responsibilities of a Traffic Officer
- Safety gear and devices
- Getting ready for the job
- Getting the Job Done
After the class,
To learn about the job of a traffic control person, take this course. You will be able afterward to describe the PPE they need and how to use it properly. You will also learn about the signs and equipment used in traffic control, as well as the situations in which they are used. It’s also important to plan ahead and communicate with your coworkers before things happen.
The skills you will also learn:
Conducting checks before and after each task.
Choosing a good place to control traffic.
There are enough steps and signs to slow down or stop the traffic.
Responding to problems and emergencies that come up.
You should not think of this class as a replacement for the standards, codes, and laws that apply in your area. This class is meant to be educational.
Additional things to think about when you’re a traffic control person.
To make sure traffic control people are well-trained, they need to know everything about the project: what will happen on each day, what kind of equipment will be used, how it will be laid out, and so on.
Traffic control workers must wear high-visibility vests, hard hats, safety shoes, goggles, and earplugs, all of which must be approved by the CSA. People who work as traffic controllers also need to have a plan for when things go wrong, like when a car doesn’t follow directions or loses control.
The CCOSH only recommends traffic control people when other methods aren’t working or aren’t enough. However, barriers and traffic lights should be used when possible to help with the job.