A visitor examines a property project model at a real estate expo in Beijing. [Photo/China Daily]

THE HOUSING and construction bureau in Shenzhen in South China's Guangdong province recently announced seven new regulations that penalize illegal acts on construction sites. Among them is a stipulation that the construction company will receive a red card if there is a death onsite. SZnews.cn commented on Tuesday:

The result of being given a red card is serious, as for the period of the warning, the construction enterprises and those supervising the construction work will be forced to stop working on the project and they will not be permitted to participate in the bidding for other projects.

Safety is the most important thing on any construction site. Yet according to reports, from January to November this year, 25 people have been killed in Shenzhen housing construction and rail transportation infrastructure projects. That is a deplorable situation.

It is worth mentioning that investigations into the accidents that have resulted in these deaths have identified a common culprit, that is, rushing to complete the projects either on schedule or ahead of time.

But tight completion deadlines and rising costs are no excuse for neglect of onsite safety. Development must not be at the expense of human life, this is common sense and should be the bottom line.

But many times, it becomes a mere formality or gets just lip service while progress takes priority. With such a mindset, security incidents will inevitably occur time and time again.