Traffic Flagger in Quebec: Training, Pay and Winter Work

A traffic flagger directs traffic near a work site, an event or an obstruction on the road. Several security agencies also offer this service, and many guards wonder whether they can do it with their licence. It is a separate trade, with its own training, its own decree and its own minimum wage. And with winter coming, it is also one of the jobs most exposed to the cold. Here are the rules, taken from the official texts.

What training do you need to be a traffic flagger?

Training is mandatory. Section 10.3.2 of the Code de sécurité pour les travaux de construction (Quebec's Safety Code for the construction industry) requires the employer to make sure that the traffic flagger knows their responsibilities, has taken training recognized by ASP Construction, and wears a high-visibility garment and the accessories set out in the road signage standards.

The course is simply called "Signaleur routier" (traffic flagger). Two organizations give it:

• ASP Construction, in class: 5 hours 30 minutes of training, plus a meal break. The organization specifies that the training is mandatory to work in the trade and that it must be renewed every 3 years
• AQTr (TransForm centre), online: 3 hours 30 minutes of class and a 45-minute exam, at $294 plus taxes in 2026. You need a computer, and the certification is valid for 3 years

For its part, the ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable (Quebec's transport ministry) requires all flaggers who work on its network to be trained and to hold a flagger card.

Be careful not to confuse the two: a traffic flagger directs road users, while a work site signaller guides trucks and machinery inside the site. These are two separate training courses, and ASP Construction specifies that it is forbidden to do both jobs at the same time.

Do you also need the 30-hour construction course?

On a construction site, yes. Section 2.4.2 of the same Code requires the employer to make sure that the workers on the site have passed the course "Santé et sécurité générale sur les chantiers de construction" (general health and safety on construction sites), which lasts 30 hours. The AQTr indicates that this course is required for traffic flaggers. Ask the employer what they require before you register.

Can a security guard do traffic control with their licence?

The security guard licence does not replace traffic flagger training. These are two different frameworks.

The Private Security Act defines security guarding as watching or protecting persons, property or premises, mainly to prevent crime and maintain order. It does not mention directing traffic. The Decree respecting security guards, for its part, expressly excludes employees who perform road traffic control work (section 2.03). These employees come under another text: the Décret sur le personnel de l'industrie de la signalisation routière du Québec (the decree for Quebec's road traffic control industry).

In practice, a guard who also wants to do traffic flagging must take the flagger training, and their pay for those hours follows the traffic control decree, not the security guards' decree. For the latter, see our page on security guard pay and premiums.

How much does a traffic flagger earn?

The road traffic control decree sets a minimum hourly rate of $24 since February 23, 2025. It adds a premium of $0.50 an hour for an employee who does traffic flagger work, which gives at least $24.50 an hour.

The decree does not cover everyone. It does not apply to employees of governments and municipalities, nor to employees who work only for a construction employer, nor to those who do traffic control for the needs of their own employer. Always ask who your employer will be and which text applies.

What equipment is mandatory?

According to the ASP Construction checklist, a traffic flagger must have at all times:

• a fluorescent yellow-green hard hat with a white retroreflective band
• a fluorescent yellow-green garment with retroreflective bands on the front, the back and the sides, compliant with the CSA Z96 standard
• safety footwear
• the flagger's sign, "Lentement" (slow) on one side and "Arrêt" (stop) on the other
• a means of communication, such as a radio, as soon as there is more than one flagger

In the dark or in low light, a red lighted baton can be added to the sign. The ministère des Transports also specifies that the place where the flagger stands must be lit at night so that they can be seen from far away. ASP suggests also having a whistle, a raincoat and highly visible gloves or mitts.

Where does the flagger stand, and from how far must they be seen?

The CNESST (Quebec's labour standards and workplace safety board) recommends that the flagger stand upright, facing traffic, on the shoulder, about 7 metres behind the stop line sign, with a refuge area identified in advance. The flagger must not approach a vehicle or try to intercept it. If a driver goes through anyway, you note the plate and notify the police.

Drivers must be able to see the flagger from far enough away to stop. The minimum distance depends on the posted speed:

Another important rule: according to the CNESST and ASP Construction, for short-term and long-term work, the flagger must not direct traffic on roads where the posted speed is 70 km/h or more. A control gate, temporary traffic lights for road work or a detour is used instead. There are exceptions, for example for surveying or at an intersection already controlled by lights or a stop sign. The CNESST also points out that using a flagger should not be automatic.

Do drivers have to obey the flagger?

Yes. Section 311 of the Code de la sécurité routière (Quebec's Highway Safety Code) requires every person to obey the orders and signals of a flagger in charge of directing traffic during road work, exceptional events or sporting competitions, even if the signage indicates otherwise. The fine for a driver who disobeys is $300 to $600 (section 314.2). And in a work zone, the fine for speeding is doubled (section 516).

Working outdoors in winter: what the CNESST recommends

A flagger stays standing, often without moving, for hours. The CNESST names static posture among the risk factors in the cold: it does not produce heat. Its brochure Travailler au froid (working in the cold) gives useful benchmarks:

• Vigilance starts early. As soon as the temperature out of the wind drops below 5 °C, you have to be careful
• Wind changes everything. At -20 °C with a 30 km/h wind, the wind chill index is -33. Between -28 and -39, exposed skin can freeze in 10 to 30 minutes
• Breaks in the warmth. The CNESST proposes a schedule that alternates between work and warming up, with 10-minute breaks in a heated place. For light work like a flagger's, it asks that the more protective level of its table be applied
• Layers rather than one big coat. An underlayer that wicks moisture away, insulating layers, a windproof and waterproof outer layer. Avoid cotton
• Head and feet. An insulating liner under the hard hat, and non-slip, waterproof and insulated footwear
• Drink something hot. Hot, sweet drinks or soup. Avoid coffee and alcohol
• Stay dry. Do not go back out into the cold with damp clothes

The employer also has a part to play: a heated shelter, windbreaks when possible, and a means of communication for a worker who is alone.

Recognizing frostbite or hypothermia

Frostbite shows as whitish or waxy skin and numbness. Do not rub the area, do not massage it and do not put it against a direct source of heat: warm it up gradually. Hypothermia, for its part, can occur even above the freezing point. The signs are shivering, clumsiness, difficulty speaking, confusion and drowsiness. The person generally does not realize it: watch one another among co-workers. It is a medical emergency.

Winter also brings earlier darkness, precipitation and slippery pavement. The Code de la sécurité routière requires drivers to slow down in these conditions (section 330), but the flagger does well to keep their refuge area clear and to check that their post is well lit before nightfall.

A high-risk trade

The CNESST recorded 215 employment injuries among traffic flaggers in 2022, including 18 linked to being struck by a vehicle or mobile equipment. The same year, 822 people were injured in a work zone or on the approach to one, 8 of whom died. Besides being struck, the CNESST names among the risks hypothermia, heat stroke and verbal or physical assaults. On that last point, our tips for defusing an aggressive person also apply at the side of the road.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a traffic flagger make?

In Quebec, the road traffic control decree sets a minimum hourly rate of $24 since February 23, 2025. A premium of $0.50 an hour is added for traffic flagger work, which gives at least $24.50 an hour. The decree does not apply to employees of governments and municipalities, nor to employees who work only for a construction employer, nor to those who do traffic control for the needs of their own employer.

How do you become a traffic flagger?

In Quebec, you must take the "Signaleur routier" training recognized by ASP Construction, required by section 10.3.2 of the Code de sécurité pour les travaux de construction. ASP Construction gives it in class and specifies that it must be renewed every 3 years. The AQTr gives it online, and its certification is valid for 3 years. On a construction site, section 2.4.2 of the same Code also requires the 30-hour course "Santé et sécurité générale sur les chantiers de construction".

What is the difference between a work site signaller and a traffic flagger?

A traffic flagger directs road users, while a work site signaller guides trucks and machinery inside the site. In Quebec, these are two separate training courses. ASP Construction specifies that it is forbidden to do both jobs at the same time.

How much does traffic flagger training cost?

In Quebec, the AQTr online training costs $294 plus taxes in 2026, for 3 hours 30 minutes of class and a 45-minute exam. For the ASP Construction in-class training, ask the organization for the price.

Sources

• Code de sécurité pour les travaux de construction (CQLR, c. S-2.1, r. 4), sections 2.4.2 and 10.3.2, LégisQuébec.
• Formation « Signaleur routier » and checklist "Le signaleur routier", ASP Construction.
• Formation en ligne « Signaleur routier », AQTr TransForm centre.
• Contrôle de la circulation par un signaleur, ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable.
• Décret sur le personnel de l'industrie de la signalisation routière du Québec (CQLR, c. D-2, r. 16.1), sections 4, 5, 10, 11 and 38 to 40, LégisQuébec (up to date as of June 1, 2026).
• Decree respecting security guards (CQLR, c. D-2, r. 1), section 2.03, LégisQuébec.
• Private Security Act (CQLR, c. S-3.5), section 1, LégisQuébec.
• Code de la sécurité routière (CQLR, c. C-24.2), sections 311, 314.2, 330 and 516, LégisQuébec.
• Positionnement sécuritaire du signaleur routier, CNESST, 2025.
• Travailler au froid : prévenir et soigner les lésions dues au froid, CNESST, 4th edition, 2024.
• Signaleurs routiers, CNESST.
• CNESST news release of August 7, 2023 and news release of July 3, 2023 on the 2023-2026 action plan, Québec.ca.