60% of Hong Kong outdoor workers suffer heatstroke symptoms despite new warning system, survey finds
Hong Kong Free Press
More than 60 per cent of outdoor workers have experienced heatstroke symptoms in the three months since a new heatstroke warning system was launched, according to a survey published by Greenpeace on Wednesday.
A non-mandatory three-tier warning system designed to help protect Hong Kong workers from heatstroke went into effect on May 15. The system consists of amber, red and black warnings, indicating three levels of heat stress, and suggests different rest arrangements for people working outdoors or in indoor environments without air conditioning. However, employers have no obligation to offer the recommended rest periods as the guidelines are not legally binding.
Greenpeace and the Hong Kong Catholic Commission for Labour Affairs interviewed 123 construction workers and outsourced cleaners of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department through questionnaires in the first three weeks of August.
About 98 per cent of those interviewed agreed or strongly agreed that Hong Kong had become hotter in recent years. According to the Hong Kong Observatory, this summer was the hottest since records began.
Sixty-two per cent said they had experienced the symptoms of heatstroke at work in the three months since the warning system was introduced.
More than half of them said they experienced symptoms such as dizziness, a lack of energy, difficulty breathing, and a rapid heartbeat, at least once a week.
The survey also found that workers who were provided rest time experienced fewer symptoms and at a lower frequency. For example, workers who took at least 15 minutes rest experienced symptoms at most three, and only about 25 per cent of them experienced the symptoms “at least once a day.”
However, those who were not given rest time could experience up to five symptoms and about 40 per cent said they would experience the symptoms “at least once a day.”
Low effectiveness
The survey also showed that over 40 per cent of the workers interviewed had not been given extra rest time when the warnings were issued. More than 70 per cent of them said their employers did not even inform them that a warning was in place.
“Hong Kong recorded over 50 days with more than 33 degree Celsius within a year in the past two years. The risks brought by heatstroke to outdoor workers keeps increasing. However, the guidelines launched by the government are difficult to follow and are not legally-binding, meaning they have little effect,” said Tom Ng, a project officer at Greenpeace.
Greenpeace urged the government to discuss with industry representatives and modify the guidelines with an aim to increasing the legal responsibility of employers to provide heatstroke prevention measures.
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