Hong Kong to update heat stress at work warnings after monitoring index for longer
- Labour Department plans to launch updated heat stress warning system, guidelines to prevent heatstroke at work in May
- It will also roll out revised code of practice for working in confined spaces after two sewer workers allegedly inhaled toxic gas and died in manhole last week
A heat stress warning system in Hong Kong for outdoor workers to take a break will be adjusted to observe weather changes over a longer period to prevent sudden and disruptive shifts in signals that left some employees confused last summer.
The Labour Department said on Monday that it was planning to launch the updated heat stress warning system and a set of revised guidelines on the prevention of heatstroke at work in May.
It also said it would roll out an updated code of practice for working in confined spaces in four to five weeks, earlier than it was originally scheduled in late June, following a fatal accident in which two sewer workers died in a manhole in Sha Tin last week.
The government first introduced the three-tier heat stress at work warning system in May last year based on the Hong Kong Heat Index co-developed by the Observatory and Chinese University. The index considered various factors including temperature, relative humidity and intensity of sunlight.
But the warning system, in which an amber signal would be issued once the heat index hits 30 and upgraded to red or black if the rate reaches 32 or 34, was criticised for the abrupt issuing and cancelling.