Quebec Traffic Control (Flagger) Course: Lessons 2026

Lesson 1: Who sets the traffic control rules in Quebec

Every year in Quebec, road workers are killed or badly hurt while working on or beside public roads. The CNESST (Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail) is the agency that enforces workplace health and safety law. It names four texts that apply to road work:

• The Act respecting occupational health and safety (LSST), the main workplace safety law
• The Safety Code for the construction industry (Code de sécurité pour les travaux de construction, chapter S-2.1, r. 4)
• The Highway Safety Code (Code de la sécurité routière), the rules of the road
• Tome V – Signalisation routière, the road signs standard of Quebec's Ministry of Transport

Tome V is the manual for signs in work zones. The CNESST says signs on a road work site must follow Tome V, either through a standard drawing from Tome V or through a signalling plan signed and sealed by an engineer. Your flagger training and your supervisor will explain the parts of Tome V that apply to your work.

Two kinds of flagger

Lesson 2: Training and equipment for road flaggers

The CNESST says a road flagger must have taken a flagger training course recognized by ASP Construction (the construction sector's prevention association). This online course is not that training. If you will work as a road flagger in Quebec, your employer must make sure you have the recognized training first.

What the road flagger wears and carries

• A hard hat
• High-visibility safety clothing in fluorescent yellow-green
• Protective footwear
• The flagger's sign (panneau du signaleur)
• A flag, only in the situations the standard allows
• A two-way radio (or similar device) when more than one flagger is working

What the employer must do

Under the CNESST rules for road flaggers, the employer must:

• Supply the protective equipment and the signalling equipment
• Tell the flagger about the risks of the job
• Supervise the flagger and give the required training
• Arrange a replacement during rest and meal breaks, so the post is never left empty

Under the LSST, the employer must give each worker protective equipment free of charge and make sure the work methods are safe. The worker must protect their own safety and not put others in danger.

Lesson 3: Where and how a road flagger works

The CNESST sets out where the road flagger stands and how they must be seen:

• Stand on the shoulder, or in the closed lane if the layout requires it.
• Stand upright, facing traffic.
• Stand about 7 m behind the "LIGNE D'ARRÊT" (stop line) sign.
• Be visible to drivers at the minimum stopping sight distance set in Tome V. If drivers cannot see the work area from a safe distance, the work zone must be made longer so the flagger can be placed at that distance.
• Between sunset and sunrise, the employer must light the flagger so they can be seen at that same distance.

Where a road flagger may not be used

The CNESST says flaggers must not direct traffic on autoroutes, or on roads where the posted speed limit (on a white sign) is 70 km/h or more. Tome V has some exceptions, which your trainer and supervisor will explain. In these places, the employer or the prime contractor (maître d'œuvre) must use technical measures instead, such as:

• Remote-controlled traffic barriers
• Temporary work traffic lights
• Closing the road and setting up a detour

The CNESST also expects the employer to inspect the signs every day, to check that workers use safe methods, and to keep a record of problems that are reported.

Lesson 4: The site flagger and reversing vehicles

On a construction site, trucks and machines often back up. The site flagger guides these reversing moves. The main dangers are being struck or run over, being crushed between a machine and an object, and being hit by material being moved.

Rules for the site flagger

• Wear a fluorescent yellow-green vest with reflective strips, safety footwear and a hard hat.
• Stay visible to the driver and out of the vehicle's path.
• Before you let the driver move, make sure the path is clear and that you can see every worker near the route.
• Signal the driver to stop as soon as a worker on the ground is out of your sight.

The site flagger's training covers traffic risks on site, the site's traffic plan and traffic zones, the flagger's equipment and role, where to stand, blind spots, and the hand signal code for reversing.

For a construction site with more than 10 workers, the CNESST asks for a traffic plan that shows where the site flagger and the road flagger are placed. Read it before your shift.

Lesson 5: The Highway Safety Code and your authority

Section 311 of Quebec's Highway Safety Code says that when traffic is directed by a peace officer, a school crossing guard or a flag person in charge of directing traffic around work sites, or during exceptional events or sports events or competitions, every person must obey their orders or signals, even if they are contrary to the signs or signals in place. Section 310 says everyone must obey the road signs and signals put up under the Code.

This gives a flag person power only in those situations. A security guard is not a peace officer. Quebec's Private Security Act says that an agent licence does not give the status of peace officer, and the conduct rules for licence holders forbid presenting yourself as having a peace officer's powers.

Good practice

• Direct traffic on a public road only when you are assigned as a flag person, are trained, and the set-up follows Tome V.
• Never step into a road to direct traffic on your own initiative. Call the police if traffic is a danger.
• If police arrive and take over, follow their directions.
• If a driver ignores your signal, do not chase or block them. Note the plate, the vehicle and the time, and report it to your supervisor and the police.