Eleven years ago, in 2013, a company employee from Kitakyushu fell ill and died on a business trip to Saudi Arabia. His family and others are seeking compensation, claiming that the company neglected its duty to ensure safety and caused him to suffer from heatstroke. In the lawsuit requested, the Kokura Branch of the Fukuoka District Court handed down a judgment that found the company responsible, stating that the company had "allowed the workers to work without measuring the 'heat index'" and ordered them to pay compensation of over 48 million yen.
In August 2013, a man in his 30s from Kitakyushu, who was working at a ship repair company headquartered in Yokohama, fell ill and died while repairing ships in Saudi Arabia on a business trip.
His family and others claimed that the cause of the accident was heat stroke, and filed a lawsuit demanding approximately 63 million yen in compensation, alleging that the company had failed in its duty to provide safety considerations.
In his ruling on the 13th, Presiding Judge Takahiko Teragaki of the Kokura Branch of the Fukuoka District Court ruled that the man was found to have died due to the temperature at the work site, which was thought to have reached over 35 degrees Celsius at the time, and the man's symptoms such as vomiting and dehydration. determined that his death was caused by heatstroke.
``Although the company had taken certain measures, they did not measure the ``heat index,'' which indicates the risk of heat stroke based on temperature and humidity, and forced workers to work without checking their physical condition. The company acknowledged its responsibility and ordered it to pay more than 48 million yen.
After the judgment, the plaintiff and the company
After the judgment, the plaintiff's lawyer held a press conference and said, ``The fact that the judgment pointed out that the company was responsible for not measuring temperature and humidity is a judgment that indicates what measures should be taken in the future.'' I think so.”
On the other hand, regarding the judgment's failure to recognize individual responsibility such as the company president, the man's mother said, ``If management is not responsible, I'm worried that another person like my son will die from heat stroke.'' In that sense, I don't understand it.''
Regarding the ruling, the company said, ``As we do not know the details, we cannot comment at all.''