Editorial: Yanfei Bao case highlights potential risks of routine work among the public

Every day, strangers deal with each other in family homes or on properties with the hope of mutual benefit.

There might be a water leak that calls for a plumber to fix it, or a problem that requires an electrician. Some repair jobs require workers to be inside a house with the resident for hours.

The expectation is that an appointment gets made, the problem gets fixed, and the fixer gets paid.

Sometimes these arrangements come about because of a friend’s recommendation, but they can just as easily involve someone taking a punt on an ad in the Yellow Pages or online.

What are people on either side relying on to get through these interactions safely?

Apart from the basic hope that each person involved is decent and professional, there’s also the mutual knowledge that an appointment has been booked, there are records of it - a digital paper trail exists.

Behind the person offering a service is usually a business with standards to uphold. There’s also most likely people in nearby homes. Cellphones can be used to call for help, and family and friends can be made aware of work appointments.

The shocking and sad disappearance of Christchurch real estate agent Yanfei Bao has highlighted the vulnerabilities and potential risks that hover over commonplace work situations.

Bao has been missing for 12 days and police are treating the case as a homicide investigation.

An ongoing search has focused mainly on areas including Lake Ellesmere and the Halswell River. A suspect is in custody and police have been asking the public for information on sightings of Bao’s car on July 19. Her cellphone and car have been recovered.

No motive has been uncovered and Bao appears to have approached work that day without any trepidation.

Bao, 44, who is also a wife and mother, was due to do what was a normal part of her job for Harcourts - deal with potential buyer interest in a house up for sale in a residential street. She was also reportedly planning to do some promotion of her real estate services door-knocking in a nearby area.

Working on house sales is central to what New Zealand’s about 16,600 real estate agents do. The thought that routine tasks could unexpectedly go wrong in some way must be unsettling for others in the same job, particularly women.

Agents have reportedly been advised to work in pairs for safety when out on business, including for open homes and door-knocking.

Real Estate Authority chief executive Belinda Moffat said last week that agents’ safety was of primary concern and she planned to talk with sector leaders and the Real Estate Institute about “how messages and guidance around safety might be reiterated and reinforced.

“There are precautions and protocols, including the use of technology and communication systems, that agencies may apply to mitigate some risks and support safety,“ she said.

“Approaches will be tailored to the work and environment in which people are operating.”

The real estate industry is not the only one which could be reassessing safety procedures in light of this disturbing case.