That misses the point. If you designed a bridge, and you died if it failed in one trial, how would this affect your design process?

I believe this method falls strictly under deterrence.

It is not possible to extract more punishment on an individual than their death, technically, unless you believe in an afterlife.

It is not punitive and meant to 'correct' the builder; it is meant to 'prevent' the builder from cutting corners.

"It is not possible to extract more punishment on an individual than their death, technically, unless you believe in an afterlife."

Not true at all. Not that I'd recommend it, but there's torture, and punishing family. They were far less outrageous in Ancient times.

Likely they were not familiar with the scientific method and statistics as we know it today.