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Hong Kong’s outdoor workers left confused, unaware of first amber signal under new heat warning system
- Unionists question effectiveness of new, non-binding guidelines, while lawmaker calls on government to strengthen communication efforts
- Signal issued at 1.50pm on Thursday and cancelled at 3.50pm, but some labourers report never hearing about new system from supervisors
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Some outdoor workers were left confused on Thursday as they were unaware that Hong Kong had issued its first amber signal as part of a new warning system to reduce the risk of heat exhaustion.
The lack of action following the warning, which lasted for two hours, prompted unionists to question the effectiveness of the non-binding guidelines, with a lawmaker calling on the government to strengthen its efforts in publicising the new system.
The signal, which follows a newly developed heat index, was issued at 1.50pm and cancelled at 3.50pm. Workers, depending on their categorised level of labour intensity, are advised to be given rests of 15 to 45 minutes in an hour under the amber level.
The new three-tier system, which indicates the likelihood of workers getting heatstroke while working in areas close to heat sources or environments without air conditioning, was introduced by the Labour Department last week and took effect on Monday.
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But a check by the Post found that some workers were not only unaware of the signal but also the rest periods suggested under the guidelines.
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