Preventing heatstroke: Hong Kong government to include heat index in guidelines for employers to shield outdoor workers from high temperatures
- The heat index, measured by the city’s Observatory, monitors heat stress and considers temperature affected by moisture in air, radiation and wind
- The guidelines, however, will remain recommendations and will not be mandatory for employers to abide by
A heat index that better reflects the weather conditions will be included in Hong Kong’s guidelines for employers to protect outdoor workers from heatstroke, the labour minister has said.
Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han told the media on Thursday the government planned to refer to the Hong Kong Observatory’s heat index to formulate a more comprehensive guideline to prevent heatstroke among outdoor workers.
“As we know, heatstroke is affected not only by temperature, but also by humidity, direct sunlight exposure, intensity of the work, and whether the clothes worn by workers are well-ventilating,” Sun said. “If we only take reference from the temperature, it’s just one-dimensional.”
However, the guidelines would remain recommendations, rather than be mandatory for employers to follow, he said.
Currently, the Labour Department has several informal guidelines on workplace heat stress risk assessment for employers to follow on a voluntary basis.