This safety measure could have saved the lives of the Latino workers killed when the Baltimore bridge collapsed. "They're holding up traffic because a ship has lost its rudder, that's all," came over a maintenance radio.
The bridge collapsed less than 30 seconds later. Some states have rules that say boats are not necessary under certain conditions, such as when the work being done is inside the railings of a bridge. Maryland is not among them and does require the presence of a safety boat when workers are on or near the water.