Unionists raise the heat on scorching work conditions

James Lee

Unionists in Hong Kong are calling on the government to impose maximum temperature limits for outdoor workers similar to calls by trade unions to the European Commission.

Trade unions in the EU called on the European Commission yesterday to impose maximum temperature limits for outdoor workers after three people died on shifts in Madrid during last week's heatwave.

According to research by polling agency Eurofound, 23 percent of all workers across the EU were being exposed to high temperatures a quarter of the time.

That figure rises to 36 percent for agriculture and industry and 38 percent for construction workers.

While a handful of EU member states have legislation limiting working hours in excessive heat, the thresholds vary and many nations have no nationwide heat limits.

According to unions affiliated to the European Trade Union Confederation, Belgian workers whose jobs are physically demanding cannot work when the temperature exceeds 22 degree Celsius. The limit is set 5 degrees Celsius higher in Hungary for the same type of work, while Slovenia caps the temperature at 28 degree Celsius in all workplaces.

Like the many EU member states with no heat limits, Hong Kong does not have legislation that protects workers from working under extreme temperatures.

Labor sector lawmaker Dennis Leung Tsz-wing said the government needs to set a temperature cap to protect employees from having to work in very hot weather that could pose serious health risks.

"The government needs to implement a maximum temperature limit for outdoor workers as soon as possible. The extreme temperatures we saw over the weekend are very difficult to work in. The union will be keeping an eye on EU member states' demands as well as the United States' Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations," he said. But Leung said the government would have to consider climate differences, since temperatures alone would not be a useful metric, and other factors such as relative humidity should also be considered.

He also proposed that the government could install facilities such as sprinklers or mist cooling systems to cool the hot summer air.

Unionists are also calling on the government to include heatstroke as a workplace injury after at least five workers have died of exhaustion caused by suspected heatstroke since June.

Wong Ping, chairman of the Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union, said the government needs to include heatstroke as a workplace injury, among other measures.

"We will ask authorities and employers to implement a limit on working temperature, include heatstroke as a workplace injury, extend break hours, provide air-conditioned rest facilities and provide free drinking water," he said.

Speaking on a radio program, Tam Kam-lin of the Federation of Hong Kong & Kowloon Labor Unions said she had been receiving reports since June about gardeners, construction workers, logistics workers and real estate agents bearing the brunt of the recent heatwave. But Tam said workers were rarely compensated since heatstroke was an "invisible occupational injury."

"Workers can't prove that they had suffered from heatstroke after the symptoms fade, so they usually can't get compensation if employers decide to close a case after workers have recovered."

In some cases, she said day laborers would rather continue working through the discomfort than file a report that might not get accepted.

Chief executive of the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims, Siu Sin-man, said on a radio program that authorities should protect the rights of outdoor workers and review the Employees' Compensation Ordinance.

She noted it was difficult to prove exhaustion was caused by hot weather.

The families of most of the deceased did not receive compensation as most of the cases had chronic conditions that could have been exacerbated by the heat, according to the Labour Department.

Sheung Shui sweltered at 38.8 degrees Celsius at noon yesterday as the ongoing heatwave caused an uptick in cases of heat exhaustion.

Speaking on a TV program, family medicine doctor Lam Wing-wo said people with heatstroke might experience symptoms such as heart palpitations, delirium or even systemic inflammation, which could cause organ failure. "If not treated properly, there is a 60 to 70 percent chance of death," Lam said.

Meanwhile, cities across China were on red alert for heat waves yesterday, as the mercury rose to above 41 degrees in the eastern provinces of Zhejiang and Fujian over the weekend, reaching all-time highs in two cities.

According to China's Administrative Measures on Heat Stroke Prevention, workers are required to cease all outdoor operations once the temperature reaches 40 degrees and employers are not allowed to cut their wages.