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The first Amber Heat Stress at Work Warning of the year came into effect at 1.30pm on Tuesday, marking the first such alert issued since the warning system was revised earlier this year.
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The warning indicates that the heat stress index has exceeded 30 at four out of 10 monitoring stations, including the Hong Kong Observatory’s King’s Park station.
The Labour Department reminded employers and employees to take appropriate precautions during the warning period to prevent heatstroke while working in hot weather or high-temperature environments.
The department revised the Heat Stress at Work Warning system from April 20 this year. In addition to using data from the King’s Park station as the basis for issuing warnings, the system now also takes into account readings from nine other Hong Kong Observatory monitoring stations.
If four or more of these nine stations record a heat stress index reaching a specified warning level, the Labour Department will issue the corresponding warning, even if the King’s Park station has not reached the threshold.
The department said employees working outdoors or in indoor environments without air conditioning face higher heat stress and are at greater risk of heatstroke.
When a Heat Stress at Work Warning is in force, employers should refer to the department’s guidance notes on preventing heatstroke at work and assess the heat stress risks faced by their employees.
Employers should also take necessary preventive and control measures, including rescheduling work periods, providing shade, improving ventilation and heat dissipation, and reminding workers to drink water and rest properly.
