A death at a distribution center run by American supermarket chain Kroger is being investigated by authorities. A Kroger employee died August 25 on the job at a distribution center located in Memphis, Tennessee. The worker was identified as Tony Rufus, according to The Guardian.

Leaders from Teamsters Union #667 said that Rufus died on a dock in front of his co-workers. Rufus’ body was discovered by the Memphis police department at 8:13 p.m. ET on August 25.

“The safety of our associates has always been our top priority,” Kroger said in a statement issued following Rufus’ death. “Kroger Supply Chain continues to take the necessary steps to ensure a safe working environment for our associates. We have contacted the associate’s family to offer our condolences and support during this difficult time.”

Since 2011, 436 work-related deaths have been caused by environmental heat exposure, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2021, heat exposure caused 36 work-related deaths, a significant drop from the 56 deaths seen in 2020.

At least 143 UPS employees were hospitalized due to dehydration- or heat-related injuries between 2015 and 2022. To prevent more injuries from occurring, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters ratified a new five-year collective bargaining agreement with UPS August 22, which guaranteed many benefits, including health and safety protections for workers like in-cab A/C for larger delivery trucks.

Lobbyists from the agriculture and construction industries are working to prevent heat protection laws from going into effect at the state and federal levels. The Biden administration has proposed federal regulation requiring workers to be protected from the heat, but no such law has materialized so far, the Guardian reports.

In June, Texas’s Republican governor, Greg Abbott, signed a law that eliminated local rules requiring water breaks for workers. Shortly after the law was passed, a 35-year-old utility lineman in Marshall, Texas, died after experiencing heat illness symptoms.