Saskatchewan Traffic Control (Flagger) Course: Lessons 2026

Lesson 1: Who may direct traffic in Saskatchewan

This course explains Saskatchewan's own rules for traffic control near road work. It is background knowledge only. It does not certify you as a flagperson. Before you control traffic on a road, get the training your employer and the job require.

Saskatchewan's Private Investigators and Security Guards Program says security guard work can include directing traffic on private property, such as parking lots, site gates and loading areas. Your security licence does not give you power over traffic on public streets and highways.

Who drivers must obey on the road

SGI's Saskatchewan Driver's Handbook says drivers must stop when signalled to by a police officer or a flagperson. A flagperson is a trained worker who controls traffic as part of a properly set-up work zone. A guard who just steps into the street to wave cars along has no such authority.

• Directing traffic on a public road is for police and for trained, designated flagpersons in an authorized work zone.
• If police arrive and take over, follow their directions. Never give signals that conflict with theirs.
• Never direct a driver through a red light or against a sign.

Do not look like police

Saskatchewan's licensing law keeps guards from being mistaken for police. Section 23 of The Private Investigators and Security Guards Act, 1997 bans any licensee from holding themselves out as performing services connected with the police. Section 18 of the Private Investigators and Security Guards Regulations, 2000 bans using a vehicle that shows the word "police" or carries a flashing or rotating light similar to a police light.

Lesson 2: Saskatchewan's rules and manuals

Two sets of rules shape traffic control at Saskatchewan work zones: the workplace safety regulations and the Ministry of Highways manuals.

The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020

These regulations are made under The Saskatchewan Employment Act. Section 1-2 defines a designated signaller as a worker designated under clause 9-21(1)(a) to give signals. Part 9 includes section 9-21 (Designated signallers) and section 9-22 (Risk from vehicular traffic). The province's table of changes says these carried over from the older regulations with no substantive change. These sections deal with who gives signals and how workers are kept safe from vehicle traffic.

Ministry of Highways manuals

On provincial highways, the Ministry's Construction Manual names the Traffic Control Devices Manual for Work Zones (TCDMWZ) as the guide for Ministry employees, contractors and others. It covers how signs are classified, built and placed, and how temporary speed limits are set. The manual gives typical layouts, but the Ministry says no one sequence of devices fits every site, so each plan is adapted to the real conditions.

Lesson 3: Work zone signs and driver rules

Knowing what drivers are told helps you predict what they will do. These rules come from SGI's Saskatchewan Driver's Handbook.

Construction signs have black letters or symbols on an orange background. Any one of these three signs marks the start of the work zone:

• Traffic control person ahead (be prepared to stop for instructions)
• Survey crew ahead
• Highway workers

Speed rules for drivers

• Slow to the posted speed through the entire work zone.
• Go 60 km/h or less when passing a worker, a flag person or equipment with a worker on it.
• Go no faster than 60 km/h when passing Ministry of Highways equipment with its lights flashing, moving or not.
• Fines for speeding triple when passing highway workers, and police use photo radar in some work zones.
• Some cities have bylaws that require drivers to obey work zone speed limits through the whole construction area.

Lesson 4: How a two-lane flagging set-up looks

The Ministry uses traffic accommodation checklists to check work zones. The checklist for a single lane closed on a two-lane highway shows how flagging fits into the set-up.

• One flagger is required when one lane is affected by the work, and two flaggers when both lanes are affected.
• Flaggers must be visible to approaching drivers for at least 125 m.
• Matching devices are set up for traffic coming from the other direction.
• The sign layouts show a maximum 60 speed sign before the work area.

Taper lengths from the checklist

A taper is the line of cones or markers that moves traffic out of the closed lane. Faster roads need longer tapers and more space between signs.

These numbers are for checking that a set-up looks right. The traffic control plan for your site, made by the contractor under the Ministry manual, is what you follow.

Lesson 5: Working safely near traffic

Whether you guide cars in a parking lot or support a flagging crew, the same safe habits apply.

Before you start

• Confirm you are trained and designated for the task.
• Wear the high-visibility clothing your employer and the job require.
• Check your radio and agree on signals with any other flagger or guard.
• Learn the escape route from your position.

While you work

• Stand on the shoulder or in a closed area, never in an open travel lane.
• Face oncoming traffic and make eye contact before waving a driver on.
• Give clear, deliberate signals. When two people control traffic, one person coordinates.
• Keep fire lanes and emergency routes clear on private property.
• If a driver ignores you, step clear. Note the plate and description, and report it.

Night work

On Ministry highway projects, a night work plan must be submitted one week before night work starts and accepted by the Ministry. Road work is not allowed during transition periods: from sunrise to half an hour after, and from half an hour before sunset to sunset, when drivers have trouble seeing.