Recently, a video of an elderly sanitation worker in Qingdao, Shandong Province, braving the scorching sun, holding a water hose and running behind a sprinkler truck to water the plants has sparked controversy online.
According to netizens who posted the video, on August 12, under the blazing sun, an elderly man was seen holding a water hose, following a sprinkler truck, running and watering the plants simultaneously. In the video, the elderly man wore a straw hat, hunched his back, with the water hose wrapped around his waist, holding the hose with both hands, staggering as he ran and watered the plants.
After the video was posted, many netizens expressed deep concern: “He can barely walk steadily. Whose father is he? Does he receive a pension?” “The water hose is entangled around him. If he falls, who knows what might happen!” “At his age, he should be retired from doing such strenuous work.” “What kind of mentality does the driver have? Driving so fast?”
In response to this, the head of the Urban Management Bureau of Beiqing District in Qingdao, where the elderly man works, stated to the media on August 13 that the two individuals were working in coordination. The elderly man was spraying pesticide and ran a short distance to avoid the vehicles behind him, then immediately returned to normal speed. The elderly man was not injured, and the driver has been suspended from duty.
The official response has raised concerns among netizens. “The elderly man doesn’t seem to have any protective gear. Is there a risk of poisoning when spraying pesticides like this?”
Some have questioned, “What’s the point of suspending duty? Shouldn’t the person in charge be the one suspended?”