One of Hong Kong’s largest labor groups has called on the government to enact legislation to protect employees from working in extreme heat after recent reports of multiple deaths suspected to be linked to heat exhaustion in the city.
The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions’s appeal comes as the mercury rose to as high as 37 degrees Celsius in some parts of Hong Kong recently, with the very hot weather warning in force for 12 days continously.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, the federation’s Occupational Safety and Health Association noted that employees who have to work under such scorching hot weather run the risk of getting a heatstroke.
“A lot of our workers, especially those from low-income families and in physically demanding jobs, still have to work long hours under very hot temperatures,” said Lam Shuk-yee, chairman of the association.
Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun recently said that the government is planning to refer to the Hong Kong Observatory’s heat index to set guidelines for employers to protect workers from heatstroke.
But Lam pointed out that employers can choose to not follow such rules.
Hence, the association called on the government to formulate legislation related to working while the very hot weather warning is in force as soon as possible, so as to provide employees with a clear rest period when the signal is in place and to ensure that employers arrange for employees to stop working in such heat.
The association also appealed to authorities to enact a law to make it mandatory for employers to conduct a risk assessment for outdoor work, or those that are indoors but in spaces that are not well ventilated, before a hot weather warning signal takes effect.
It also said that employers must provide employees with adequate heatstroke prevention equipment, such as drinking water, hats, sunscreen sleeves and towels, when the very hot weather warning is in force.
The association said it is currently following up on a case of sudden death of a tree pruning worker, which is suspected to be related to heatstroke.
It added that, from time to time, it receives reports from workers who are suspected to be suffering from heatstroke and heat exhaustion.
Since some workers are paid daily wages, they will lose their income if they are absent from work, the association said.
