Chinese refuse collector dies after working long hours in freezing weather
Waste disposal worker who was forced to carry rubbish on his back after trolley broke collapses and dies at rubbish dump
A waste disposal worker in southwestern China has died after working long hours in freezing temperatures, according to local media reports.
Wu Jianhua, who had worked at a local waste station in Chengdu, Sichuan province for 14 years, was found unconscious at the site by a local resident on Sunday, thecover.cn reported.
He died while being taken to hospital by an ambulance.
He had been working since 5am that day and had to carry the rubbish on his back because the trolley he normally used was broken, Chen Yirong, a manager at Wu’s company told the website.
The 59-year-old had to clear two tonnes of refuse every day and worked two shifts – starting with an early morning shift and then resumed work in the afternoon – taking the waste out of residential and commercial buildings.
Chen said Wu had a medical every year and was believed to be healthy.