Policy should be....Read what is intended, if you need clarification between their , there and they’re ask it , move on, don’t be a smug grammatical a hole.
Is the author of the report a "smug grammatical a-hole" or just an engineer with a justifiable concern about people dying?
The thing is, if people are so sloppy about basic grammar and spelling, what else are they sloppy about? In general, people are sloppy about everything, or meticulous about everything.
It is important in this case, because this report has implications for the future of the new bridge. What if the bridge is headed for catastrophic failure and no one recognizes the possibility because everyone who should see it coming is sloppy and cuts corners?
No!
Why should we have to ask people for clarification when, with a little effort on their part, clarity would be built into their writing? Long live spelling/grammatical (especially in technical writing) a-holes! Why can't 'writers' learn grammar and spelling? If they can't do that or can't take the care to use proper grammar, it makes one suspicious of their content.
Typos happen, which is why proofreading is important. On FR, we often get so excited that we hit "Post" before we check our writing. Many of us are guilty of that.
When a person is unclear in a mathematical, technical, engineering, or scientific text, there is no "Read what is intended."
There are many slippery slopes in life. Why not take care of those we can control?
I've seen a lot of Freepers lend a hand to their less literate forum mates, and rarely have I ever seen any of them be "smug" about it.
It strikes me as odd that so many people mistake correction for insult. Most often, those who offer a correction, are doing so out of an impulse to help - not to shame.