Prince Edward Island Traffic Control Course: Lessons 2026

Lesson 1: Who may control traffic in PEI

Two documents set the rules for traffic control at work zones in Prince Edward Island:

• Part 50 of the Occupational Health and Safety General Regulations, enforced by the Workers Compensation Board (WCB). These rules call the person who controls traffic a signaller.
• The Temporary Workplace Traffic Control Manual (2025) from the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure. The manual calls this person a Traffic Control Person (TCP).

The manual defines a TCP as a person qualified and accredited by the PEI Department of Transportation and Infrastructure to direct traffic in a temporary work area. It says TCPs must be trained and accredited before they are given responsibility for traffic control. The regulations also say a signaller must hold a certificate of training and show it to an OHS officer on request.

This course is background knowledge only. It is not signaller or TCP training, and it does not give you a certificate that the law accepts. Ask the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure or your employer which accredited training applies to your job.

What this means for a security guard

• Do not direct traffic on a public road unless you are a trained, certified signaller assigned to a work zone that has been set up for it.
• The manual says traffic control devices and persons must work under the authority of the agency that has jurisdiction over that section of road.
• Police may also direct traffic. Follow their directions and never give signals that conflict with them.
• In a private parking lot you may guide vehicles if your post orders say so, but this is not the same as traffic control on a highway.

Lesson 2: When signallers are needed and who qualifies

Section 50.2 says the employer must provide effective traffic control whenever unregulated traffic is a hazard to workers. Control devices go into place before work starts and are removed when the need ends.

Signallers are required when (s. 50.3)

• Construction work puts workers at risk from vehicle traffic.
• A road that is normally two-way is cut down to one-way traffic.
• Work or an obstruction on the shoulder or road leaves less than 3 m per lane (speeds up to 50 km/h) or 3.5 m per lane (over 50 km/h).

Who may be a signaller (s. 50.4)

• A competent person over the age of 16
• Trained in traffic control and signalling, and has shown adequate knowledge of it
• Has a thorough knowledge of Part 50
• In good physical and mental condition, with adequate eyesight and hearing
• Holds a certificate of training and shows it to an officer on request

Section 50.5 adds a strong rule: using a worker who does not meet these qualifications counts as failing to use a signaller at all.

Lesson 3: Equipment, apparel and night work

• The employer provides an octagonal signaller's sign mounted on a 1.7 m handle (s. 50.9). One side shows STOP; the other shows SLOW or MAXIMUM 40 (s. 50.15).
• Signallers use reflectorized paddles and wear a reflectorized vest or jacket provided by the employer (s. 12.12).
• Protective equipment for the job can include safety footwear, a hard hat, a safety vest, eye protection and rain wear (s. 50.6).
• Signallers must not use headsets or other devices that could affect their sight or hearing while signalling (s. 50.8).

The 2025 manual made the SLOW side of the paddle bilingual and clarified the paddle's height. It also made arm bands or cuffs for TCPs optional instead of mandatory.

Darkness

• In darkness or poor visibility, all safety devices must be reflectorized (s. 50.10).
• The employer must give the signaller a flashlight fitted with a red signalling baton (s. 50.11).
• At night, the manual says the TCP should stand beside the light, not directly under it.

Lesson 4: Signals, position and communication

Section 50.15 sets three signals. In each one, the right arm holds the sign out to the side, level with the shoulder, with the sign facing traffic.

Where to stand (s. 50.12 and 50.13)

Drivers must be able to see you in time to stop, and you must stand far enough back from the work area. The regulation sets minimums by speed:

Working as a team

• If one end of a one-lane section cannot be seen from the other end, signallers keep in touch by radio or with extra signallers (s. 50.14).
• A signaller must not leave their post until relieved (s. 50.16).

Lesson 5: Warning signs and the work zone

• When work gets in the way of traffic, warning signs go up in both directions, at least 225 m from the worksite, and at any intersection in between (s. 12.12(2)).
• "Signaller Ahead" signs are posted before each signaller's station and removed promptly when signalling ends (s. 50.17).
• In the manual, the TC-21 Traffic Control Person sign is fluorescent orange, has two red-orange flags on top, and warns drivers they must obey the TCP's directions.
• TC-21 is shown only while TCPs are actively directing traffic. Otherwise it must be removed or covered.

Parts of a work zone

The manual divides a temporary work area into six parts: the advance warning area, the approach area, the transition area where cones or other devices move traffic out of its lane, the buffer area that gives errant vehicles room to recover, the active work area, and the termination area where traffic returns to its normal path.

The manual says the maximum speed through a construction zone is 60 km/h unless a lower limit is posted. As an example of set-up distances, it lists a lane-closure taper of 30 m on a 50 km/h road. A new section of the 2025 manual explains when the TCP takes their place on the road while devices are being set up.