Flagpersons: training, equipment and positions

A flagperson is the only traffic control device that can think. Signs and cones cannot tell a driver to stop now and go in thirty seconds, cannot judge whether a truck needs extra room or wave an ambulance through. That flexibility makes flagpersons valuable, and it also makes them the most exposed workers in a work zone: their job is to stand near moving traffic and stop it. This lesson covers who may flag, what they need, and where they stand. Lesson 9 covers the signals they use and how two-way traffic is controlled.

When flagging is used

Flagging is used when signs and devices alone cannot control traffic safely: when traffic in both directions must share one lane, when construction vehicles must enter or leave the road across traffic, when traffic must be stopped briefly for a crane lift or a delivery, and when conditions change too often for fixed devices. Flagging is not a substitute for a proper layout. A flagperson needs advance warning signs, a taper and a buffer as much as any other part of the zone, and on high-speed, high-volume roads other methods, such as temporary signals, automated devices or a full detour, may be safer than putting a person beside the traffic.

Who may flag

Section 20.6 of the Manitoba regulation sets the qualifications. A flagperson must hold a valid flagperson training certificate from a provider approved by the director of the Branch, must have shown competency in applying that training at the particular workplace, and must carry the certificate at all times. Training courses in Manitoba typically cover the regulation, the provincial and municipal manuals, signals, positioning, communication, emergency vehicles, night work and dealing with angry or impatient drivers, and end with a practical test. Competency at the workplace means the employer or supervisor has watched the flagperson apply the training on that site, with that layout and that traffic, before leaving them on their own.

Some qualities are hard to train. A good flagperson stays alert for a whole shift, stays calm with angry drivers, does not wander into the lane to argue, and watches for the one driver in a hundred who is not going to stop. A supervisor who sees a flagperson using a phone, sitting down in the lane, chatting with other workers or turning their back on traffic must step in immediately, because those habits kill flagpersons.

What a flagperson needs

• STOP/SLOW paddle. Manitoba requires a reflective paddle with STOP in white letters on a red background on one side and SLOW in black letters on a fluorescent yellow-green background on the other. Paddles are mounted on a rigid staff so the sign face is high enough for drivers to see over the vehicle ahead.
• High-visibility apparel. CSA Z96 Class 3, Level 2 in fluorescent yellow-green, which covers the torso and arms (and often the legs) with fluorescent material and retroreflective bands.
• Headwear. Fluorescent headwear, with retroreflective material for night work, visible from all sides. In practice, that means a fluorescent hard hat with reflective tape.
• Communication. A means of communicating with other flagpersons when they cannot see each other, usually two-way radios.
• At night, a working flashlight with a red signalling wand, bright enough to be clearly seen by approaching traffic.
• Safety footwear, eye protection and weather gear suitable for long periods outdoors.
• No personal electronics. Personal phones, earbuds and music players are not allowed while flagging, except for the approved communication device.

Where a flagperson stands

The flagperson's position is the most important safety decision in flagging. The goal is to be clearly seen by approaching drivers early enough for them to stop, while standing where a driver who does not stop will not hit them.

• On the shoulder or in the closed lane, beside the lane being controlled, never in a lane open to traffic. The flagperson steps into the lane only after traffic has stopped, if at all, and on most jobs should not need to.
• Far enough ahead of the work space that stopped vehicles do not queue into the work and drivers who do not stop have room to slow before reaching the workers. The distance is usually based on stopping sight distance for the speed.
• Clearly visible for a long distance: not just beyond a curve or hill crest, not in the shade of a tree or building, not in front of a dark background where possible, not hidden by parked vehicles or equipment.
• Alone. Other workers should not gather around the flagperson, because a group distracts the flagperson and confuses drivers.
• With an escape route planned in advance, away from the traffic and clear of equipment, materials and excavations.
• Facing traffic, never with their back to the vehicles they are controlling.
• Behind the advance warning signs. Drivers must see a flagperson ahead sign, and other warning signs, before they see the flagperson.

How far ahead of the work

Manitoba's Work Zone Traffic Control Manual and the City's standard drawings give the distance from a flagperson station to the work space for each speed, based on stopping sight distance. The program below estimates it using the same formula as the buffer in lesson 7, so the supervisor can check a station position in the field.

# Estimated distance from a flagging station to the work space (stopping sight distance).
def ssd_m(kmh, t=2.5, a=3.4):
    v = kmh / 3.6
    return v * t + v * v / (2 * a)
def ssd_ft(mph, t=2.5, a=11.2):
    v = mph * 5280 / 3600
    return v * t + v * v / (2 * a)
for kmh in (40, 50, 60, 80):
    print(f"{kmh} km/h: station about {round(ssd_m(kmh) / 5) * 5} m ahead of the work space")
for mph in (30, 40, 50, 60):
    print(f"{mph} mph: station about {round(ssd_ft(mph) / 5) * 5} ft ahead of the work space")
# Sight check: can approaching drivers see the person flagging for at least this distance?
sight_available_m = 70      # measured on Larch Avenue from the bend to the station
need = ssd_m(50)
print("Larch Avenue sight check:", "OK" if sight_available_m >= need else "move the station", f"({sight_available_m} m vs {need:.0f} m)")

40 km/h: station about 45 m ahead of the work space
50 km/h: station about 65 m ahead of the work space
60 km/h: station about 85 m ahead of the work space
80 km/h: station about 130 m ahead of the work space
30 mph: station about 195 ft ahead of the work space
40 mph: station about 300 ft ahead of the work space
50 mph: station about 425 ft ahead of the work space
60 mph: station about 565 ft ahead of the work space
Larch Avenue sight check: OK (70 m vs 63 m)

One flagperson or two

On a one-lane, two-way closure, traffic in each direction must be stopped and released in turn. A single flagperson can control both directions only where the zone is very short, traffic is light and the flagperson can be clearly seen by drivers approaching from both ends. In most cases, two flagpersons are needed, one at each end, in constant contact by radio. On long zones, a pilot car leads each group of vehicles through, and the last vehicle in each group, or a token passed to the last driver, tells the flagperson at the other end when it is safe to release traffic in the other direction. Lesson 9 covers these methods.

Breaks, heat and fatigue

Flagging looks easy and is not. A flagperson stands for hours, often in heat, cold, rain, glare and exhaust fumes, while staying alert for one dangerous driver. Attention fades after an hour or two of steady flagging, and a tired flagperson misses things. On the Cottonwood Place job, Red River Traffic Control Ltd. rotated flagpersons at least every two hours, provided relief for breaks so a station was never left with the paddle propped against a cone, and supplied water, shade at the break area and cold-weather gear. In hot weather, the heat plan, with water, rest, shade and acclimatization for new workers, applied to flagpersons first.

Dealing with drivers

Most drivers obey flagpersons. Some argue, some refuse to wait, and a few drive through. A flagperson should be courteous and brief, explain the delay if asked, and never argue or block a vehicle with their body. If a driver drives through or threatens the flagperson, the flagperson gets out of the way, warns the other flagperson and the work crew by radio, notes the vehicle and plate if it is safe to do so, and reports it. Police can follow up; the flagperson's job is to stay alive and warn others.

The flagperson and the trucks

On a building site, much of the flagging is for construction traffic: stopping public traffic briefly so a truck can back into the gate or pull out into the street. That task mixes two hazards, the passing traffic and the reversing truck, and the flagperson must manage both. On the Cottonwood Place job, the flagperson at the gate controlled public traffic only. A separate spotter inside the gate guided the reversing truck, so the flagperson never had to turn their back on the street or step behind the truck.

Handover between flagpersons

When one flagperson relieves another, the handover is done with traffic stopped or at a quiet moment: the outgoing flagperson explains any problems, such as drivers ignoring the signal or a driveway causing trouble, and hands over the radio and paddle before leaving.