An investigation has been launched following the death of a bodybuilder who lay unconscious under a cold shower for 15 hours before he was eventually discovered.
Giuliano Pirone was training at a 24-hour gym in Perth, Australia, before tragedy struck on 20 August this year.
The 33-year-old began to feel unwell during his workout and is believed to have headed towards a shower cubicle before he suddenly collapsed at around 7.30am that morning, according to reports.
It wasn't until 15 hours later when police broke down the bathroom door that the father-of-one was found slumped on the shower floor under cold running water at around 10.30am.
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Giuliano's family had raised concerns about his welfare earlier that day at about 3pm. Police then used the signal from his mobile phone to find him.
According to ABC News, the fitness fanatic suffered a brain injury and never regained consciousness.
Giuliano passed away at a hospital in Joondalup around two weeks after he was found passed out under the shower.
On Tuesday (8 October), WorkSafe WA - the health and safety regulator for general industries, mining and petroleum sectors in Western Australia - announced it had launched a probe into the bodybuilder's death.
The investigation is set to explore whether the Perth gym breached its duty of care to Giuliano, as his family can't understand how him being in the shower for so long went unnoticed.
A WorkSafe WA spokesperson told ABC: "It's actually too early to say what specific breaches are being investigated. The investigation is in its very early stages, so the inspectors are still gathering information about the industry."
Giuliano's relatives previously told ABC Radio that doctors believe the gym-goer's blood sugar levels may have dropped dangerously, along with his blood pressure, possibly triggering a seizure.
His mother, Daniela Pirone, claimed that CCTV footage showed her son 'not feeling too good' while on a treadmill, before he then climbed off it and began bumping into other equipment in the gym.
"He staggers to the showers, holding his stomach," the grieving parent said. "[He] must have just locked himself in, felt hot, turned the cold water on and bang, he collapsed."
Daniela welcomed WorkSafe WA's investigation into her son's death, saying that she believes the fitness industry needs stricter regulations to ensure fitness buffs are safe using the facilities.
Giuliano's devastated family have called for hourly checks of bathrooms and showers to be conducted to prevent anyone suffering a similar ordeal, as well as urging 24-hour gyms to ensure staff are on hand at all times.
She said: "I'm pleased to hear WorkSafe is looking into what happened that day and looking into the 24-hour gym industry.
"My family has a lot of questions, and we still have not been given an explanation as to why Giuliano was in the shower for so long without anyone noticing he was there.
"I just want to know how someone can be left in a gym shower for 15 hours."
Giuliano's loved ones also urged officials to open a coronial inquest into his tragic death, as well as imploring gyms to implement a system where customers check in and check out.
Police have already seized CCTV footage from the gym and are preparing a report for the coroner, according to reports.
Speaking to 7News, Daniela added: "Gyms need to be aware that people can have accidents and things can happen. There needs to be a check-in and a check-out. If someone stays at the gym [two, three hours] max ... something should flag up, or something should say ‘OK where is this person?'"
The publication also stated that the owner of the Perth gym had offered their condolences to Giuliano's family in September, as well as saying that it is 'committed to maintaining a safe, secure and accessible environment and will continue to look into further improvements'.
Topics: Australia, Health, News, World News
Olivia Burke