Traffic Control - Set Up and Take Down

The Construction Regulation under the Occupational Health and Safety Act makes it mandatory that traffic control persons be protected from hazards. This requirement includes measures and devices to guard against the dangers of vehicular traffic. Safety should receive top consideration when planning for traffic control.


The worker who is required to set up or remove these measures on a roadway or shoulder of a roadway:

  • must be competent
  • must not do any other work while setting up or removing the measures
  • must be given adequate written and oral instructions, in a language that he/she understands, on how to set up or remove the measures.

Barriers are required to protect workers when projects are on a freeway , the project is not a mobile operation, and the project is expected to last more than five days. When barriers are not practical, it is a mobile operation or the project is expected to last five days or less, an adequate number of crash trucks must be used. If work on the shoulder of a freeway is expected to take less than 30 minutes, four-way flashers and a 360-degree beacon shall be used. If a project is on a freeway and involves a mobile operation an adequate number of crash trucks shall be positioned between workers and traffic. Machinery, equipment, and material that is being used, left or stored where it could be a danger to public traffic shall be marked by flashing devices.

Construction Projects
O. Reg. 213/91

Part II GENERAL CONSTRUCTION

Section 66

66. Machinery, equipment and material that is being used, left or stored where it may be a hazard to traffic on a public way shall be marked by flashing devices.

[O. Reg. 145/00, s. 20]

Traffic Control

Section 67

67. (1) In this section,

"barricade" means a device that provides a visual indicator of the path a motorist is supposed to take;

"barrier" means a device that provides a physical limitation through which a vehicle would not normally pass, and includes a concrete barrier;

"mobile operation" means work, including a paving operation, that is done on a highway or the shoulder of a highway and moves along at speeds of less than 30 kilometres per hour.

(2) If a worker at a project on a highway may be endangered by vehicular traffic unrelated to the project, the project shall make use of as many of the following measures as is necessary to adequately protect the worker:

1. Barriers.

2. Barricades.

3. Delineators.

4. Lane control devices.

5. Warning signs.

6. Flashing lights.

7. Flares.

8. Traffic control devices.

9. Blocker trucks.

10. Crash trucks.

11. Sign trucks.

12. Speed control devices.

13. Longitudinal buffer areas.

(3) In addition to the measures listed in subsection (2) but subject to section 68, a worker may be used to direct traffic.

(4) Every employer shall develop in writing and implement a traffic protection plan for the employers' workers at a project if any of them may be exposed to a hazard from vehicular traffic.

(5) The traffic protection plan,

(a) shall specify the vehicular traffic hazards and the measures described in subsection (2) to be used to protect workers; and

(b) shall be kept at the project and made available to an inspector or a worker on request.

(6) A worker who is required to set up or remove measures described in subsection (2) on a roadway or a shoulder of a roadway,

(a) shall be a competent worker;

(b) shall not perform any other work while setting up or removing the measures; and

(c) shall be given adequate written and oral instructions, in a language that he or she understands, with respect to setting up or removing the measures.

(7) Adequate barriers shall be installed to protect workers at a project from vehicular traffic if the project,

(a) is on a freeway;

(b) is not a mobile operation; and

(c) is expected to require more than five days to complete.

(8) - (9) Repealed. [O. Reg. 345/15, s. 11]

(10) If it is not practical to install barriers as subsection (7) requires, or if the project is expected to require five days or less to complete, crash trucks shall be adequately positioned to protect workers.

(11) If work on a shoulder of a freeway is expected to take less than 30 minutes to complete, a vehicle with four-way flashers and a 360-degree beacon light shall be provided.

(12) The following measures shall be taken to protect a worker at a project if the project is on a freeway and involves a mobile operation:

1. An adequate number of crash trucks shall be adequately positioned between vehicular traffic and workers in order to adequately protect workers at the project.

2. If the operation involves intermittent stops averaging 30 minutes or less, an adequate number of barricades or delineators shall be adequately positioned between vehicular traffic and the worker.

3. If the operation involves intermittent stops averaging more than 30 minutes,

i. an adequate longitudinal buffer area shall be provided if physically possible,

ii. the lane on which work is being done shall be adequately identified with lane closure signs and a lane closure taper, and

iii. an adequate number of barricades or delineators shall be adequately positioned between vehicular traffic and the work area.

[O. Reg. 145/00, s. 21; 345/15, s. 11; 242/16, s. 7]