Safety Flaggers Commit a Safety Error when flagging a local road . Who are these safety Flaggers and what are their qualifications to do the job

 I was recently driving down the section of Freeport Road  old PA28 in Ohara Twp when I came across  Workman making repairs to Gas Lines and they had hired one of many Flagging companies that have popped up since late 90s.  that provide traffic safety at job sites. 

This particular section of road has one of its lanes permanently shut down due to the hazard of rocks falling from the hillside some times it has been so bad people have been killed .

Penn Dot  has signs posted every 100 feet along road warning motorists not to use the lane but what did this flagging company do? they moved the barriers and used the unsafe lane for traffic flow so they did not have to do alternating traffic. 

You can see the Penn Dot road signs on left side of lanes being ignored by flaggers 

Needless to say I called and alerted Penn dot to the danger and im sure they reamed the safety company a new ass hole. for ignoring the warning signs.

 So the question comes up where did these flagging company's come from and what training and authorizations do they have to do this kind of work. 

 It use to be utility company's always provided there own trained flaggers which where unionized  utility company employees .

But that started changing in late 90s when  Bell Telephone started using Non union  Security company guard supplied by Allied who really had no ideal what they where doing .

Soon Power and Gas company's started doing it as well and that's when contract flagging company's where started and undercut what Security company's where charging as it was expensive to have trained guards do it. 

soon there where over a dozen different company's in business doing flagging started by flaggers who left and started their own company's.

I looked into what requirements one must have to be a flagger and they are required to complete a  basic Federal DOT traffic Flaggers course but that's it. 

They must wear a certain amount of high viability clothing and use certain amount of traffic canes and safety devices and they are suppose to set up safety zone s and some do a good job and many do not 

The flagging company is to check in with Penn Dot and advise when they are closing roads etc so it can be tracked but other than that nobody seems to be watching 

This Summer in Penn Hills Pa   a flagging outfit was highly criticized for mishandling traffic flow and 

had a WTAE TV investigation  episode they showed up in.

So it looks like another case of nothing will be done till there are some deaths then over regulation and reaction will go into place