Labour Department eyes tougher heat-at-work warnings after record temperatures

The Labour Department is discussing changes to its Heat Stress at Work Warning system with the Hong Kong Observatory, including lowering the threshold for higher-level alerts during unusually extreme temperatures.

Commissioner for Labour Sam Hui Chark-shum said the department was considering making the system more sensitive to exceptionally high temperatures, particularly for employees working outdoors.

The review comes after Hong Kong experienced record-breaking heat in recent days while the work heat warning remained at its lowest, yellow level, raising questions over whether the existing mechanism adequately reflects the risks facing outdoor workers.

Hui said the warning mechanism was improved in April and no longer relied solely on an index measured at King’s Park. Instead, data from different Observatory monitoring stations are now used under more relaxed criteria to determine whether a warning should be issued.

Authorities had expected the revised mechanism to result in higher-tier warnings more frequently this summer, but the warning level did not rise alongside the exceptionally high temperatures recorded in recent days.

The current system is based on research commissioned from the Observatory and the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s medical school to reflect Hong Kong’s climate.

Hui said the index is relatively sensitive to hot and humid conditions, but places less weight on heat radiation from direct sunlight than some other systems.

The department is therefore considering whether the weighting should be adjusted when overall temperatures reach unusually high levels.

One area under review is the risk faced by outdoor workers who may be working in well-ventilated environments but are still exposed to intense sunshine and high temperatures.

Authorities are examining whether the warning system should become more sensitive under such conditions so that higher-level alerts can be activated earlier to better protect outdoor workers, the labor chief added.
 

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