Whoah there Mr up-and-go horsey!
What's to say this was done after they took delivery of the helicopter? Is there a requirement to check the bushings on the drag brace as part of any scheduled maintenance? No?
The short answer to your question "is this how they carry out their day to day operations?" would have to be a resounding NO!
Don't be so quick to point the finger here - next time you take delivery of an aircraft that appears to be 110% structurally sound, remind yourself of this incident and ask "has every single nut and bolt and hole been checked on this aircraft?"