30-year-old China man died from organ failure after working for 104 days

A 30-year-old young man from China died from organ failure after working continuously for 104 days with only one day off. The victim man is A’bao.

This incident has brought attention to the working culture in China. It has caused a widespread discussion about how workers become victims of the toxic work culture in China. It has caused significant outrage among the nation.

This incident came to light when A’bao’s family filed a court case against the victim’s corporation as responsible for his death. However, the Zheijian court found the accused corporation was 20 percent responsible for A’bao’s death.

According to the court’s ruling, a pneumococcal infection caused multiple organ failures of A’bao. This infection usually weakens the immune system.

A’bao signed a contract in February 2023 to work as a painter for an anonymous company as the court did not reveal its identity. The contract was supposed to run through January 2024.

The company gave the A’bao project at Zhoushan, in the eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang. After signing the contract, A’bao worked nonstop for 104 days from February to May 2023. He just took one day off on April 6, 2023, during this time.

However, he started feeling unwell on May 25 and decided to take the day off while spending rest time in his dorm. But his condition quickly worsened on May 28.

His coworker rushed him to hospital where doctors diagnosed him with a lung infection and respiratory failure. Following his severe medical condition, he passed away on June 1, 2023.

Social security officials stated that A’bao’s case investigation showed his death could not be categorized as work-related. This was because it had been more than 48 hours since he fell sick.

Following this, A’bao’s family filed a lawsuit for compensation in Zhejiang court accusing his company employer of negligence. However, the company claimed workload was manageable for Ab’ao, and any overtime he did was voluntary.

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It also stated victim’s death happened due to his pre-health issues and lack of medical treatment which caused his death. However, the court emphasized that A’bao’s capacity to work for consecutive 104 days clearly violated Chinese Labour Law.

The Chinese Law allows a maximum of 8 working hours daily with an average of 44 hours per week. Hence, the China court ruled this violation weakened the immune system of 30-year-old young man A’bao and he died from organ failure.

Hence, the court ordered the accused company to pay compensation of 400,000 yuan to A’bao’s family. It also included an additional 10,000 yuan for emotional distress in the aftermath of A’bao’s death.