"Arriving Early Does Not Count as Working Hours"
...Company Offers Small Humanitarian Donation
A security guard working at an apartment complex in China collapsed and died after arriving early for his shift in a guard post without air conditioning during a heatwave. However, controversy has arisen as his employer refused to recognize the death as work-related and denied industrial accident compensation.
According to reports from foreign media outlets such as the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on July 30, a man in his 50s, surnamed Zhou, who worked as a security guard at an apartment in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, northeastern China, collapsed and died around 7 a.m. on July 15 while having breakfast in the guardroom after arriving for work.
Zhou arrived for his shift about an hour earlier than usual, around 7 a.m. that day. After eating breakfast in the guardroom, he collapsed and was rushed to the hospital, but died of cardiac arrest.
Zhou's daughter stated that the temperature reached 33 degrees Celsius that day, but there was no air conditioning in either her father's guardroom or his dormitory. It was also reported that his accommodation was less than 200 square meters and was shared by 20 people, with poor sanitary conditions.
Investigations revealed that Zhou's employer had signed a labor contract with him but had not paid social insurance premiums.
The bereaved family argued, "My father was healthy, so the heat and poor conditions were the cause," and insisted, "This is clearly death from overwork and an industrial accident."
However, the company refused to recognize the death as work-related, stating, "The accident occurred before working hours, so it is not a death on duty." Instead, they proposed a "small humanitarian donation." Jin, the company's manager, said, "If it is recognized as an industrial accident, the compensation will be much higher than for a non-work-related death. If it is officially ruled as an industrial accident, we will take responsibility and install air conditioning in the guard post and dormitory."
Currently, the bereaved family and the company are in negotiations, awaiting a decision from the local authorities regarding the industrial accident status.
During his lifetime, Zhou was recognized by the company as an "exemplary service employee" and an "outstanding worker," and was known for his diligent work ethic. Apartment residents also remembered Zhou as a kind and hardworking person.
This incident has attracted significant attention on Chinese social media, with more than 15 million views. One netizen expressed outrage, saying, "If there is no air conditioning in such high temperatures, it's like telling people to die." Another netizen criticized, "A responsible person loves their job and comes to work early. If there is no compensation just because he arrived early, that is truly wrong." There were also comments criticizing the company as "lacking even the most basic conscience."
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