A flag person’s plea to you

Hi my name is Gina and I am a traffic control person (flag person)in Newfoundland and proud of it. I could go back to an office job. Really, I actually love this job, my job. I chose this job.

With construction season here, I just wanted to Express my feelings and thoughts.

With so many different flag people working all different kinds of construction in all kinds of weather 10-12 hours per day. Most times they are the first person you see upon coming into a construction zone. Sometimes it can be a little scary.

So please keep your eyes open, drive carefully.

A flag person is probably the lowest paid in any construction job site. My opinion they have a very important job. Most road work cannot begin without signs & traffic control people in place.

Sadly, I know some people don’t respect a flag person. Some people who are stuck in traffic can get verbally abusive to flagmen or woman. Remember they have a job to do, they stop or slow you down for a reason. I also hear some people saying that a traffic control person or a flag person has a very easy job just standing around. My favorite , you/they are just a flag person.

Well that is not true. As some jobs are in a low traffic area, some jobs are in the highest traffic area you can imagine and we have to keep our wits about us and eyes wide open no matter which job site we are on or what kind of weather we work in.

We are not only there to keep safe their fellow employees and themselves. We are there to keep you the public safe. We are there trying to make everything to run as smoothly as possible. To help get you to your destination as fast as possible.

So please when you come upon Construction signs or flag person please drive with caution and slow down.

Not only do we want the public to arrive home safely. I know I personally want the public to arrive home safely everyday. Everyone on a construction site has a family to go home to. I know, I (as some people say) may just be a flag person but I want to go home to my family every day…

I personally promise that I will do my very best to keep you safe all I ask is you do the same.

Please show people on a construction site especially flagger ( flag person) the respect they deserve. They’re just doing their job. Besides myself, I have a lot of friends and family that work it all types of construction. Let’s all do our part in keeping everyone safe.

Thank you for reading and letting me vent.

Gina Greeley Elens