On December 15, 2024, at YTO Express Holdings, an offshoot of YTO North Technology Innovation Co., Ltd. (referred to as YTO Company), a cargo loading worker named Bai Runming collapsed inside the freight compartment during work, was diagnosed with heat stroke, and tragically passed away. His colleagues mentioned that the working environment that day had temperatures reaching up to 41℃. Despite the tragic incident occurring over five months ago, YTO Company and the family of the deceased have yet to reach an agreement on compensation.
According to a report by Red Star News on December 15, Mr. Wu, a representative from YTO Company handling the case, mentioned that immediate rescue efforts were made for Bai Runming after he collapsed. Since Bai Runming’s death was deemed a work-related incident, the company is willing to compensate according to relevant standards. However, during several rounds of negotiations, the proposed compensation amount from the family was deemed too high by the company, leading to no consensus being reached.
Materials from the Economic Development Zone Social Service Center in Yongqing County, Hebei Province, state that YTO Company compensated for Bai Runming’s death based on work-related criteria. In negotiations, the family demanded a one-time compensation of 3 million yuan, while YTO Company was willing to pay 1.4 million yuan at once, a figure the family did not agree with.
Currently, the dispute over Bai Runming’s death compensation has not yet entered into legal proceedings.
Bai Runming, who worked at YTO Company, collapsed inside the freight compartment during work on July 23. Following medical examination, he was diagnosed with heat stroke, with his body temperature exceeding 40℃. Unfortunately, he was unable to be saved and passed away on the early morning of July 25.
Family members believe that Bai Runming was forced to work in a high-temperature environment with insufficient ventilation and was subjected to mandatory overtime. Furthermore, they claimed that YTO Company failed to promptly transport him to the hospital for treatment without adequate assistance, resulting in his untimely death due to a combination of factors.
Born in 1984 in Weixian County, Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province, Bai Runming came from a financially disadvantaged background. As the sole breadwinner in his family, he worked various jobs after completing middle school, remaining unmarried throughout his life.
Bai Runming’s cousin, Bai Liwei, mentioned that prior to working at YTO, he worked at a logistics company in Beijing as a loader and unloader. Four years ago, he joined YTO alongside a fellow villager named Wang to work as a cargo loader.
According to Wang, Bai Runming’s typical daily tasks involved loading goods from the conveyor belt into the trucks in the freight compartment. The working hours specified by the company began with a briefing at 5:30 pm and operations started at 6 pm. Typically, work would continue until 1 am with a 30-minute break for dinner, resuming operations when the conveyor belt started again and working until 6 am the next day, totaling a 12-hour shift.
“The workers’ income is composed of a base salary and additional fees based on the volume of items loaded,” said another anonymous colleague. The company generally does not mandate overtime; however, if work is not completed on time, exceeding the stipulated hours (6 am the next day) is considered overtime, compensating at a rate of 20 yuan per hour.
As per Wang, on July 22, the day before the incident, Bai Runming worked as usual, finishing work around 5:30 am on July 23. Mr. Wu from YTO, involved in Bai Runming’s case, mentioned that Bai Runming was scheduled to have the 23rd off but exchanged shifts with a colleague who suddenly took leave, leading Bai Runming to work on the evening of the 23rd as required.
Surveillance footage indicated that around 10:25 pm that day, Bai Runming collapsed inside the cargo truck. Upon discovery by other colleagues around 10:29 pm, they immediately ceased operation of the conveyor belt and promptly moved Bai Runming out.
According to Mr. Wu, upon receiving the news around 10:40 pm, he arrived at the scene to find Bai Runming unconscious and disoriented. He recalled that Bai Runming was moved out of the truck and placed in an open area, where colleagues used towels and water to cool him down physically.
Mr. Wu mentioned that they suspected heatstroke, employing physical cooling methods while also calling for emergency medical services.
After around 50 minutes of Bai Runming being unconscious, an ambulance left the YTO facility around 11:15 pm that day.
Documents from Yongqing County People’s Hospital showed that Bai Runming was admitted at 12:22 am on July 24 under critical conditions after collapsing while working in a high-temperature environment, diagnosed with heat stroke, aspiration pneumonia (both lungs), stress-related gastrointestinal bleeding, metabolic acidosis, and respiratory alkalosis.
Following admission, Bai Runming was rushed to the intensive care unit for treatment. Regrettably, at 4:34 am on July 25, Bai Runming’s life could not be saved, with the cause of death cited as exertional heat stroke in his medical certificate.
Bai Liwei affirmed that Bai Runming had no underlying medical conditions and was in good health throughout his life. Colleagues also attested to Bai Runming’s good health, noting that he hardly ever needed medication and had no vices.
Family members also maintained that Bai Runming worked in a very hot and poorly ventilated freight compartment, lacking safety protections in a high-temperature work environment. Combined with forced overtime and prolonged intense labor, his body could not endure the strain. Additionally, the delayed and inadequate first aid response after Bai Runming collapsed contributed to his demise, as YTO Company failed to promptly transport him to the hospital due to various reasons.
Regarding this account, colleague Wang recalled that Bai Runming worked in a 24-meter-long freight compartment in extremely high temperatures, possibly reaching 41℃ to 42℃ that day due to poor ventilation and the confined work environment.
Around 9:30 pm on the day of the incident, Wang observed Bai Runming seeking out the shift leader before returning to his work station. Although the specific conversation between Bai Runming and the leader was unclear to Wang, he inferred from their expressions that the leader did not approve Bai Runming’s request for leave, leading Bai Runming to continue working.
However, YTO Company provided an alternative perspective: “By that evening, the temperature had already dropped,” said Mr. Wu, indicating that the cargo compartment had its side doors open, movable fans, and previously installed ceiling fans.
Notably, according to an Orange High Temperature Warning issued by the Yongqing County Weather Bureau, the local temperature that day on July 23 could reach 36℃ to 38℃.
Bai Liwei stated that the family’s main demand is for YTO Company to acknowledge the mistakes, make improvements, and provide compensation and reparations according to national standards.