New Brunswick Traffic Control (Flagger) Course: Lessons 2026

Lesson 1: Who may control traffic in New Brunswick

In New Brunswick, a security guard has no special power over drivers. The province's licensing office says a guard has the same arrest powers as any private citizen and no others. The Private Investigators and Security Services Act also says a licensee must never hold themselves out as a police officer.

When work on or near a road puts workers in danger, health and safety law takes over. Section 91(1) of General Regulation 91-191 under the Occupational Health and Safety Act says the employer must provide competent signallers to control the flow of traffic. The Motor Vehicle Act regulations use the word flagperson for the same job.

Competent, not certified

New Brunswick law does not require a signaller certificate. WorkSafeNB's interpretation of section 91(1) says the signaller must be competent. Section 2 of General Regulation 91-191 defines competent as qualified through knowledge, training and experience, and knowing the Act, the regulations and the dangers of the work.

• WorkSafeNB says a certificate is the easiest way for an employer to show competence, but not the only way.
• Simple traffic needs less skill than a busy construction site.
• The person who assigns the task must confirm the signaller can do it.

This course is background knowledge only. It does not make you competent as a signaller. Your employer must give you the training and practice your site needs.

Lesson 2: Clothing and the Stop/Slow paddle

Two sets of New Brunswick rules apply to what a signaller wears and carries. One is the OHS General Regulation. The other is the School Crossing Guards and Flagpersons Regulation (Regulation 89-101) under the Motor Vehicle Act.

Section 91(2) covers more than road work. It applies to any employee exposed to vehicle traffic, powered mobile equipment, industrial lift trucks or mobile cranes. A guard working a gate where trucks and loaders pass may need hi-vis too.

Lesson 3: Warning signs and set-up

Drivers need warning before they reach a signaller. Section 93(2) of General Regulation 91-191 says warning signs must be posted in both directions, and at any intersection between the sign and the work area. The distance depends on the posted speed.

Other set-up rules

• For construction on a highway or bridge, section 92(1) requires concrete barriers (or material giving equal protection) at both ends and between traffic and the work area, plus lane control devices and flashing lights or flares. Barriers are not needed while the road is being paved.
• Material piled along a trench that gets in the way of traffic must be lit by warning lights or reflective materials (section 93(1)).

The province's manual

The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure publishes the Work Area Traffic Control Manual. It is a uniform set of traffic control guidelines for work on provincially designated roads. WorkSafeNB's OHS guide says the OHS regulation does not require the manual, but following it means the regulation's requirements will be met or exceeded. Questions about the manual go to the department's Operations Branch.

Lesson 4: Construction zones and drivers

Under the Motor Vehicle Act, a construction zone is part of a highway designated by the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure (or a person the Minister authorizes) or by a local authority. The Act says a construction zone is marked with signs at the start and the end of the zone, facing approaching traffic.

The province warns drivers every summer that anyone caught speeding in a highway construction zone faces double the minimum fine. Speed limits are often lowered in these zones.

Slow down, move over

New Brunswick treats a road safety or maintenance vehicle under contract with the province as a service vehicle. When one is stopped with its flashing lights on, drivers must slow to one-half of the posted speed limit and move over when it is safe.

These rules are for drivers and the police enforce them. As a signaller or guard, you do not give tickets. If a driver ignores your signal, let them go, then write down the plate, a description and the time, and report it.

Lesson 5: Working safely as a signaller

WorkSafeNB's traffic control guide lists duties for the employer. Make sure your site follows them:

• Set up a safety zone so work crews do not get in each other's way.
• Do not place employees in the path of moving equipment.
• Vehicles that carry traffic control devices need high-visibility flashing lights.
• Put barriers around excavations where traffic is a hazard.

Good signalling habits

WorkSafeNB says the key requirement is that the signaller and the people receiving the signals share a clear understanding of them, and that the signaller knows the site's hazards, such as blind corners and hills.

• Stand where drivers can see you from far away, never in a blind spot.
• Face oncoming traffic and keep an escape route.
• Give slow, clear signals with the paddle. Make eye contact before you wave a driver on.
• When two signallers work at each end of a work area, agree on signals before you start and keep in contact by radio.

Night work

At night, your paddle and your blaze orange garment must both be reflectorized (Regulation 89-101). Ask for lighting at your position so drivers can see you and so you can see them.