During this year’s summer break, Xiao Xiang (pseudonym), a sophomore student at Hubei Institute of Technology, suddenly passed away after working three consecutive night shifts at a logistics company in collaboration with the school.
On September 22, a student’s family member reported to the official Chinese media that 20-year-old sophomore Xiao Xiang had a clean bill of health during his pre-employment physical examination. From August 25 to September 13, Xiao Xiang worked night shifts for three weeks straight, without a day off for 18 days.
On September 13, after finishing work and returning home, Xiao Xiang was rushed to the hospital but unfortunately succumbed to his condition, with the death certificate citing “sudden cardiac death”. The family stated that Xiao Xiang had raised concerns about being overly tired to the school authorities but was denied rest. However, the school claimed they had not received any feedback about his situation after the incident.
Fellow classmates revealed that during the summer break, Xiao Xiang interned at a logistics company in collaboration with the school, working night shifts since July. His shifts from July to September started at 10 pm and ended at 7 am, with a night shift from 1 am to 1 pm in August, involving tasks such as handling express deliveries and unloading cargo.
Therefore, the family believes that Xiao Xiang’s passing may be related to factors such as high temperatures, working late hours, stress, or overtime. The family stated that from August 25 to September 13, Xiao Xiang had been working continuously without rest. Looking at the schedule, Xiao Xiang worked for 26 days in August with 5 days off, and 26 days in September with 4 days off, having worked without a break from August 25 to September 15.
Originally, a “three-party agreement” for the internship was signed between the school, the company involved, and the student, with the time period set until September 30. However, the actual start date for the students was July 2. The investigation is now underway to determine who informed the students to start early and oversee the clock-in process at work.
Some netizens expressed concerns about the lack of protection for interns in collaboration programs between schools and companies, pointing out that students often endure high work intensity, inflexible hours (including night shifts and consecutive shifts), and inferior safeguards compared to regular employees, such as legal rest periods, work injury insurance, labor contracts, reasonable working hours, and health monitoring.
There were also comments indicating that it is common in the logistics industry for workers to have limited time off, with some saying a 4-day break is already considered generous, as many only get 2-day breaks. The primary issue highlighted was excessive overtime and prolonged high-intensity physical labor.
Furthermore, some netizens questioned the increasing number of sudden deaths, particularly among seemingly healthy young individuals, attributing a majority of these tragic incidents to staying up late, with 90% of sudden deaths in young people being related to this factor.
Moreover, others pointed out the fast-paced lifestyle, high work pressure, and regular overtime as becoming the norm for many individuals, warning that continuously pushing the body’s limits is akin to stretching a tightly drawn bow, leaving one vulnerable to sudden death risks if not careful.