Real-Life Decision Making -- Solution
You rebuild the forms at their original height.
After thinking it over, you decide to rebuild the forms at their original height. While worker safety is an issue, it is extremely unlikely that another strong windstorm will occur before the formwork is removed.
Besides, you have to consider the client's needs. There will be complications for the client if the project isn't completed on time. Your reputation will suffer.
You give the order to rebuild the forms at their original height. You complete the project on time and under budget, without any further incidents. If any of the workers resent your decision, they keep their feelings to themselves. However, several of them are unavailable to work on your next project.
This is not what construction project manager Colin Lawson did in a similar situation.
Although the chances that another freak windstorm would occur were small, they decided that the risk to the workers' safety wasn't worth taking a chance. They decided to rebuild the forms to half their original height.
"We made this decision because in construction, as in any human endeavor, there is nothing more important than human life," he says.