Because distance reduces disaster's cost, and in every industry the guys who operate on luck can deliver cheaper and faster than the guys who do it right. One of those groups will kill someone eventually, but until they do they'll out compete everyone.

Everything that can go wrong will go right, and you'll take more risks every time, winning every time, until you experience catastrophic failure.

If someone does take these things into consideration, it will supposedly slow them down and cost them money. There's always someone else who is willing to do the job without these hindrances.

Similarly, one of my children hurt themselves climbing a tree and ended up in hospital. Our other child was taking high risks a week later. My second child said "it won't happen to me".

Greed. There is always someone who profits from lax standards and will weild political influence to hinder change.

Mostly, it takes a massive disaster that hits home to overcome this.

Because the foreign investors don't want to learn those lessons.

Textile mills moved from places like Lowell, MA and Utica, NY to the south for more docile workers and lower safety standards. They moved to Bangladesh for even cheaper workers and no regulation.

Not just other countries - even people in the US are ready and eager to roll many regulations back in the name of profit.

Wagging fingers in hindsight doesn't do a heck of a lot, does it?

And let's not pretend that it's some exceptional part of human nature to need to touch the stove.