Labour chief rejects pleas to make heatstroke an occupational disease after Hong Kong swelters in record temperatures
- Observatory statistics show more than 80 per cent of July days had ‘hot nights’ – temperatures of 28 degrees Celsius or more
- City recorded 19 hot nights in a row, the longest stretch since records began, weather forecasters said
Hong Kong’s new labour chief on Thursday dismissed calls to make heatstroke an occupational disease after the city recorded the most hot nights in a month since records started almost 140 years ago.
Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han refused to budge after a fresh appeal by the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims, which said at least five outdoor workers had died at work since June, possibly because of the heatwave.
But Sun said it would be inappropriate to amend the Employees’ Compensation Ordinance to add heatstroke to the list of occupational diseases, adding that overheating might not be directly related to the work environment.
“Even if you exercise outdoors or go hiking, the chance of having a heatstroke is similar to that of working outdoors,” Sun told a radio programme on Thursday.
“It is difficult to directly say that outdoor work leads to higher risks of heatstroke.”
Hong Kong public hospitals have admitted 10 heatstroke cases this month.
Sun was speaking as the Hong Kong Observatory said the city experienced 22 hot nights in July, the most since records began in 1884.
Statistics gathered by the Observatory showed that more than 80 per cent of days this month had “hot nights”, when temperatures reached 28 degrees Celsius (82.4 degrees Fahrenheit) or above.
The forecaster said there were 19 hot nights in a row, the longest stretch on record.
Siu Sin-man, chief executive of the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims, branded Sun’s response as “too arbitrary and irresponsible”.
“It was too early to make the call. The government shouldn’t use a one-size-fits-all approach to dismissing all heatstroke cases and their requests for compensation,” she said.
“Some of their health conditions were induced by the heat, but they don’t get reimbursed.”
Pro-labour lawmaker Kwok Wai-keung of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions said it was important for the government to regulate working hours, rest and stoppage arrangements in conditions of extreme heat.
Sun said earlier the authorities were considering the introduction of the Hong Kong Observatory’s heat index into the Labour Department’s guidelines for the prevention of heatstroke.
The index alerts the public to take precautions to avoid potential medical problems when the temperature hits 30 degrees Celsius.
“The guideline will help employers uphold their responsibilities,” Sun said. “We have to consider the needs of different occupations.
“Our general direction is to explain how to prevent heatstroke in a more specific and clear way.”
An occupational disease in Hong Kong refers to a health condition or disorder caused by work environment or activities related to work and where an individual’s disease risk of developing a condition is significantly higher than the rest of the population.
The Observatory said it expected the high temperatures would continue until early next week and warned outdoor workers to protect themselves.
Thursday’s maximum temperature was slightly lower than the 36.1 degrees recorded on Sunday and forecasters said they expected the mercury to rise to a high of 34 degrees.
A “very hot weather” warning is in force, which means maximum temperatures are likely to hit 33 degrees.
A Home Affairs Bureau spokesman said that more than 1,840 visitors had taken refuge at 18 temporary heat shelters since they opened on July 8, with the daily average of residents seeking relief increasing from 80 initially to about 110 in the past week.
The shelter at Shek Kip Mei Community Hall had the most number of residents seeking assistance, with 350 visitors, he added.
