Hong Kong authorities should push back deadlines for construction work on hot days, unions urge, warning employees cannot take breaks despite new heat warning system

Death of worker sparks questions over effectiveness of government’s new three-tier warning system aimed at reducing heatstroke

Employees feel stressed and often choose not to take breaks when needed, one union leader says

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Under a new three-tier warning system, workers are advised to suspend their duties or rest for periods of 15 to 45 minutes. Photo: May Tse

Published: 7:11pm, 7 Jun 2023Updated: 5:27am, 8 Jun 2023

Construction unions have urged the government to take the lead in giving workers more time to complete tasks during hot days, saying many are unable to take breaks as recommended by Hong Kong’s new heatstroke guidelines because of tight deadlines.

The appeal from union leaders on Wednesday followed the death at the weekend of a worker who was found unconscious on scaffolding at a Chinese University site during an amber heat stress warning, sparking questions over the effectiveness of the guidelines introduced last month.

Under the three-tier warning system, devised by the Labour Department and based on the Hong Kong Heat Index, workers are advised to suspend their duties or take breaks of 15 to 45 minutes depending on the type of job they have.

Industry chiefs slammed authorities after an amber alert – signifying high heat stress – was issued and cancelled three times within five hours last Friday, causing confusion and disruptions on construction sites.

“The problem is workers rush to finish their duties as they are on a tight construction schedule,” Ho Ping-tak, chairman of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Bamboo Scaffolding Workers Union (Tung King), said on Wednesday, adding that some were required to finish building a floor in just four days.