Extreme heat taking toll on Hong Kong’s refuse collection workers with most feeling unwell on job, charity finds
- Oxfam Hong Kong also finds that the environment at about 160 refuse collection points has worsened after refurbishment
- Unionists accuse authorities of having no consideration for workers, with facilities becoming ‘wetter, smellier and more buggy’ after revamp
Recent extreme heat in Hong Kong left two-thirds of refuse collection workers constantly feeling unwell on the job, with poor ventilation and pest control measures worsening conditions for them, according to a charity.
Oxfam Hong Kong also found that the environment at about 160 refuse collection points had worsened after refurbishment and rebuilding, with unionists accusing authorities of having no consideration for workers in such facilities.
“Not only are sanitation workers exposed to scorching heat when working outdoors, they also lack a suitable space that allows them to rest and cool down,” Wong Shek-hung, director of Oxfam’s Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan programme, said on Monday.
“The government’s current measures to tackle climate change focus on emissions reductions, but what is urgently needed is climate adaptation measures for the most vulnerable people.”
Oxfam polled 200 cleaners in June and July through questionnaires and interviews and found that the average temperature in collection stations reached 32.2 degrees Celsius (89.96 degrees Fahrenheit), higher than the record-breaking average in July of 30.3 degrees.