Nearly 40% of Hong Kong workers say no measures against heat stress provided by employers – survey
Hong Kong Free Press
Nearly 40 per cent of workers reported that their employers had not provided them with any measures to help prevent heat stress, an NGO has found, more than a year after guidelines to help stop heat stroke at work were introduced.
The Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims interviewed 470 frontline workers from late June to mid-August, and also found that 46.7 per cent of workers had felt unwell due to heat stress at work, with symptoms such as dizziness, headache, nausea, rapid breathing and confusion.
Last May, the Labour Department introduced the Guidance Notes on Prevention of Heat Stroke at Work, a three-tier heat stress warning system to advise measures employers could implement to prevent heat stroke among their staff.
The labour rights group urged the government to review its guidelines and to more closely monitor their implementation across various sectors.
The system has came under fire, as NGOs criticised the guidelines for not being legally binding, and experts questioned the scientific basis of the warning system.
The guidelines were revised in April to more closely link the system to the Hong Kong Observatory’s weather warnings. Additionally, warnings would remain in effect for at least an hour to prevent signals from going up and down frequently in a short space of time.
According to the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims, 49 amber warnings – the lowest level of the system – were issued on 45 days from June 12 to August 24, with each warning in effect for 5.25 hours on average.
Higher level red and black warnings were not issued.
‘A mere formality’
However, the labour group said that even though warnings had been issued, over 50 per cent of the workers they surveyed said they had not had extra rest time as suggested by the guidelines.
According to the revised guidelines, workers with a moderate physical workload should take a 10-minute rest after two hours of work, while those with heavy to very heavy workloads should enjoy enjoy a 15-minute break after two hours of work.
Once a heat stress warning is issued, employers should increase employees’ recommended hourly rest time according to level of their physical work and level of the stress warning. But the guidelines also say that if, for example, ventilation is provided, hourly rests can be reduced.
See also: 3 outdoor workers on how Hong Kong’s extreme heat and humidity take their toll
“The rule has caused confusion. We’ve identified some workplaces where workers’ hourly rests have been reduced to zero while the heat stress warning is hoisted,” the labour group’s executive director Fay Siu said in Cantonese, urging authorities to revise the guidelines by not suggesting that hourly rest times can be reduced.
She added that because the guidelines are not legally binding, few workers enjoy 10 to 15 minutes’ break every two hours.
“After all, it’s not a law and it’s not compulsory,” Siu said. “The suggested hourly rest time is simply a formality.”
In Hong Kong, the temperature alone does not give the full picture of the heat stress outdoor workers’ bodies are placed under, which is exacerbated by the humidity.
High humidity changes the way that sweat, the body’s natural cooling mechanism, evaporates and inhibits the body’s ability to regulate its temperature. Not being able to cool down can put people’s health at severe risk, and can lead to heart and respiratory problems, dehydration, heatstroke, high blood pressure, and sleep deprivation.
Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact Us | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps
Help safeguard press freedom & keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team
HKFP has an impartial stance, transparent funding, and balanced coverage guided by an Ethics Code and Corrections Policy.
Support press freedom & help us surpass 1,000 monthly Patrons: 100% independent, governed by an ethics code & not-for-profit.