AN 18-year-old man who worked at a hair salon in Luohu District was found dead in his dormitory bed Tuesday morning. The teenager’s family insisted that Lei’s death was due to being overworked, a Guangdong television program reported.

    Lei’s sister said Lei had been working at the hair salon for over two years and often worked late until 11 or 12 p.m.

    Lei was a native of Hunan Province. He returned to Shenzhen from his hometown after the Spring Festival a few days ago. The family accused the hair salon of putting Lei under too much work pressure.

    The hair salon is a branch store of the national company named Siyu Hair Spa. The salon that Lei worked at in Luohu District has remained closed since the teenager’s death.

    Lei’s family said that the shop owner had been avoiding meeting with them, and that the family also found that the company had not purchased social insurance for him, which is against the labor law.

    A reporter from the program had attempted to contact people in charge of the Shenzhen branch company and the shop owner, but none of the phone calls were answered.

    The family said that they had already contacted a branch company in Longhua District, but the company and its lawyer would not provide a negotiation plan.

    A staff member from the work station in Fenghuang Community, where the salon is located, confirmed that Lei had died from sudden death, excluding the possibility of murder. The family did not agree with conducting an autopsy.

    Cases of sudden death have taken place more frequently in recent years, and the sufferers tend to be younger than before. Chen Shijun, a doctor from Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, said that sudden death is caused by both internal and external factors.

    Chen suggested that residents have a physical examination on a regular basis. Young people should avoid staying up too late, because the frequency of sudden death is higher in people who lack sleep and stay up all night.

    (Zhang Qian)