Giving the Big Stick to others can cause a lot of harm.
Non compliance with life safety issues kills people. That's a fair bit o' harm, eh?
If folks instinctively and inherently did the "right thing" we wouldn't need the types and amounts of regulations we tend to see. People operate in their own very narrow self interests and most often the financial aspect is the primary interest.
I once worked for a boss whose idea of workplace safety was to admonish workers to 'be more careful.' When he broke his leg on the loading dock (he got it between the dock and trailer) we told him to be more careful... after we'd previously mentioned safety barriers, markings and training. Until it happened to him, it wasn't worth the money... now there are safety chains, marked aisles and a posted dock safety notice at this workplace.