The death of a 60-year-old security guard while having sex with his girlfriend during work hours was an "industrial accident", a Chinese court has ruled.
According to the appeal court, Mr Zhang had the same right to have an intimate relationship with his partner at work as he did to drinking water and using the bathroom, the South China Morning Post reported.
Before his death, Mr Zhang worked as the only security guard at a small Beijing factory. He worked nonstop with no days off, the Southern Metropolis News reported in early May.
Mr Zhang reportedly relaxed in a security room at the facility on October 6, 2014, when he met his girlfriend. The two were having sex, and he died during the act.
A police inquiry verified there were no suspicious circumstances and the death was accidental.
A year later, Zhang Xiaoshi, Mr Zhang's son, sought compensation at the Municipal Social Security Bureau but was eventually turned down by the authorities.
They claimed Mr Zhang's death was not an industrial accident because he was dating his girlfriend at the time and not performing his duties.
Mr Xiaoshi filed a lawsuit against the social security office and the factory in 2016.
He maintained that since his father had to work continuously, his death should be classified as a workplace fatality. Mr Zhang was unable to leave his job, so he ended up meeting his girlfriend in the security room.
Mr Xiaoshi told the court his father's emotional needs were normal for an adult male.
"Having a romantic relationship is a part of that relaxation. He stayed in his workspace. Thus, his untimely death ought to be classified as an industrial harm," Mr Xiaoshi added.
An employee's untimely death at work during working hours should be classified as an industrial accident under the country's Industrial Injury Insurance Rule, which regulates workplace fatalities and injuries.
Thus, the ruling has entitled Mr Zhang's family to compensation and insurance coverage.
Despite an appeal by the manufacturer and the Social Security office, the initial decision was confirmed by a higher court.
The social security authorities confirmed in a document released in February 2017 that Mr Zhang's death was classified as an occupational accident, but it did not specify the amount of compensation his family would receive.
