Traffic Control - Safety

The Construction Regulation under the Occupational Health and Safety Act makes it mandatory that traffic control persons be protected from hazards. This requirement includes not only personal protective clothing and equipment but also measures and devices to guard against the dangers of vehicular traffic. Safety should receive top consideration when planning for traffic control.


When a worker at a project on a highway may be at risk from vehicle traffic, projects must make use of as many of the following measures as is necessary to protect workers:

  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

In addition to these measures, a worker may be used to direct traffic.

When using a traffic control person to direct traffic

Workers should not direct traffic for more than one lane in the same direction and should not be directing traffic when the posted speed limit is more than 90 km per hour.

Workers who direct vehicular traffic:

  • must be competent
  • must not do any other work while directing traffic
  • must be in a position that poses as little danger as possible from the traffic
  • must be given adequate written and oral instructions, in a language that he/she understands. These instructions include how to direct traffic and descriptions of the signals that are to be used.

The written instructions must be kept at the project.

What equipment is needed?

Sign

A sign used to direct traffic must be:

  • octagonal in shape, 450 mm wide between sides, and mounted on a pole 1.2 m long made of material with at least the rigidity of plywood 6 mm thick
  • high-intensity retro-reflective red on one side, with STOP printed in high-intensity retro-reflective white 150 mm high
  • on the other side, high-intensity retro-reflective microprismatic fluorescent chartreuse, with a black diamond-shaped border at least 317 mm x 317 mm, with SLOW printed in black 120 mm high
  • maintained so that it is clean and legible.

When directing traffic workers should not direct traffic for more than one lane in the same direction and should not be directing traffic when the posted speed limit is more than 90 km per hour.

What equipment do I need?

Personal

Garment, usually a vest, covering upper body and meeting these requirements:

  • fluorescent or bright orange in colour
  • two vertical yellow stripes 5 cm wide on front, covering at least 500 square cm
  • two diagonal yellow stripes 5 cm wide on back, in an X pattern, covering at least 570 square cm
  • stripes retro-reflective and fluorescent
  • vests must have adjustable fit, and a side and front tear-away feature on vests made of nylon.

When working at night, workers must wear retro-reflective silver stripes encircling each arm and leg, or equivalent side visibility-enhancing stripes with a minimum area of 50 square cm per side.

Construction Projects
O. Reg. 213/91

Part II GENERAL CONSTRUCTION

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]

Section 68

68. The following requirements apply with respect to a sign used by a worker to direct vehicular traffic:

1. It shall be octagonal in shape, measure 450 millimetres between opposite sides, and be mounted on a pole that is 1.2 metres long.

2. It shall be made of material with at least the rigidity of plywood that is six millimetres thick.

3. On one side it shall be high-intensity retro-reflective grade red in colour, with the word "STOP" written in legible high-intensity retro-reflective grade white letters 150 millimetres high in a central position on the sign.

4. On the other side it shall be high-intensity retro-reflective micro-prismatic fluorescent chartreuse in colour, with a black diamond-shaped border that is at least 317 millimetres by 317 millimetres, and with the word "SLOW" written in legible black letters 120 millimetres high in a central position on the sign.

5. It shall be maintained in a clean and legible condition.

[O. Reg. 145/00, s. 22; 142/17, s. 12]

Section 69

69. (1) This section applies with respect to directing vehicular traffic that may be a hazard to workers on a public way.

(2) A worker shall not direct vehicular traffic for more than one lane in the same direction.

(3) A worker shall not direct vehicular traffic if the normal posted speed limit of the public way is more than 90 kilometres per hour.

(4) A worker who is required to direct vehicular traffic,

(a) shall be a competent worker;

(b) shall not perform any other work while directing vehicular traffic;

(c) shall be positioned in such a way that he or she is endangered as little as possible by vehicular traffic; and

(d) shall be given adequate written and oral instructions, in a language that he or she understands, with respect to directing vehicular traffic, and those instructions shall include a description of the signals that are to be used.

(5) The written instructions referred to in clause (4)(d) shall be kept at the project.

[O. Reg. 145/00, s. 23]

Section 69.1

69.1 (1) A worker who may be endangered by vehicular traffic shall wear a garment that covers at least his or her upper body and has the following features:

1. The garment shall be fluorescent blaze or international orange in colour.

2. On the front and the back, there shall be two yellow stripes that are 5 centimetres wide. The yellow area shall total at least 500 square centimetres on the front and at least 570 square centimetres on the back.

3. On the front, the stripes shall be arranged vertically and centred and shall be approximately 225 millimetres apart, measured from the centre of each stripe. On the back, they shall be arranged in a diagonal "X" pattern.

4. The stripes shall be retro-reflective and fluorescent.

(2) If the garment is a vest, it shall have adjustable fit.

(3) A nylon vest to which this section applies shall also have a side and front tear-away feature.

(4) In addition, a worker who may be endangered by vehicular traffic during night-time hours shall wear retro-reflective silver stripes encircling each arm and leg, or equivalent side visibility-enhancing stripes with a minimum area of 50 square centimetres per side.

[O. Reg. 145/00, s. 23; 345/15, s. 12]

Access To and Egress From Work Areas