Western Australian Premier supports inquiry into death of 24/7 gym user

Following calls for an inquiry from the family of Giuliano Pirone, aged 33, who died recently having collapsed at a Perth 24/7 gym, Western Australian Premier Roger Cook said he would back an independent inquiry in a bid to provide answers to Pirone's family.

Pirone’s death came after he collapsed in the shower at a Perth 24/7 gym last month, having lay undetected for 15 hours.

Having suffered a brain injury, Pirone, who was apparently training for his first bodybuilding competition, had been in an induced coma, on life support, at Joondalup hospital for two weeks.

Reports indicated that Pirone felt unwell while working out and, having made his way to a shower, collapsed in one of the cubicles. He is understood to have spent 15 hours unconscious without anyone noticing.

Premier Cook told ABC "I'm not going to make a prediction or a form of view about whether this particular gentleman was cared for in the manner appropriate but I do want to make sure that that family get answers, and of course the best way to do that is to have an independent inquiry.

"It is important that everyone that enters a gym is afforded the appropriate level of safety and that the owners and operators of that gym meet those obligations.

"I understand that there is concern from his family that he wasn't cared for.

"Obviously we would support any attempt by the authorities to get to the bottom of the issue."

AUSactive Chief Executive, Barry Elvish, said what happened to Pirone was highly distressing and confirmed the gym where he collapsed was not a member of AUSactive.