China is currently experiencing prolonged high temperatures in various regions. Recently, a security guard in Xi’an was suspected to have died from heat while on duty due to the lack of air conditioning indoors. However, the company initially refused to recognize it as a work-related injury because the guard had arrived early for his shift, sparking attention and concern.
According to a recent online post, on July 15th around 7 a.m., a 50-year-old security guard named Zhou arrived early for his shift at the Huayuan Hailan City residential compound in Xi’an. He collapsed in the security booth before his shift ended and was pronounced dead despite being rushed to the hospital. The employer argued that since Zhou died before his official start time at 8 a.m., it should not be considered a work-related injury.
The daughter of the deceased, Ms. Zhou, stated on July 21st to Jimo News that on the day of the incident, her father had arrived nearly an hour early for his shift, waiting at the security booth in the compound to hand over duties with the night shift security guard. Prior to the shift change, Zhou suddenly collapsed and was unable to be revived at the hospital. The death certificate indicated that he died from acute myocardial infarction.
Following the incident, Ms. Zhou and other family members visited the Huayuan Hailan City residential compound and discovered that the security booth and the bare-bones dormitory where her father worked did not have air conditioning.
“On that day, the temperature in Xi’an exceeded 40°C, with the temperature around 32 to 33°C at 7 a.m. in the morning,” Ms. Zhou believed that her father died from the extreme heat in his workplace and should be considered a work-related injury. However, the employer informed her that since her father arrived early for his shift, it did not fall within working hours and therefore was not classified as a work-related injury, with the company only willing to provide humanitarian compensation.
In response, Mr. Jin, the Vice General Manager of Qianxiang Company, stated that whether Zhou’s death should be classified as a work-related injury should be determined by local labor and social security departments. He said, “Our company said it’s not, and the family also said it’s not.”
Reports revealed that a portion of the security services at the Huayuan Hailan City residential compound was outsourced to Shaanxi Qianxiang Security Service Co., Ltd. (referred to as “Qianxiang Company”). Zhou had worked as a security guard at the compound for many years and had signed an employment contract with Qianxiang Company, which did not provide him with the mandatory social insurance benefits.
On the 22nd, Ms. Zhou mentioned that she had submitted documents to the labor and social security bureau in Weiyang District to apply for work-related injury recognition for her father.
On the same day, Mr. Jin from Qianxiang Company reiterated that their previous statement might have caused misunderstandings for the family. He mentioned that when he said, “Whether the incident before (8 a.m. on that day) start of work constitutes a work-related injury is subject to consideration.” The determination of work-related injuries requires time, and the company had proposed to initially provide the family with a certain amount of condolence money, which the representatives declined.
He also stated that on the 21st, the company received a certificate of proof of work-related injury determination from the relevant departments of the Weiyang District Labor and Social Security Bureau and is in the process of fulfilling the necessary procedures.
Admitting to the fact that Qianxiang Company had indeed not provided Zhou with social insurance benefits and acknowledging management flaws regarding the living and working conditions of the staff, they are currently rectifying the situation and planning to install air conditioning in the security booths and dormitories.
Over the past month, China has been experiencing continuous high temperatures. Prior to this incident, on July 6th, a janitor at Qingdao University also passed away due to heatstroke as the school had failed to install air conditioning.