The implementation of non-mandatory heatstroke warnings was “unsatisfactory” and “caused confusion,” Shun Chi-Ming, the former director of the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) has said.
A three-tier warning system designed to help protect Hong Kong workers from heatstroke went into effect on May 15. The system consists of amber, red and black warnings, indicating three levels of heat stress. It suggests different rest arrangements for people working outdoors or in indoor environments without air conditioning.
In an article published by Ming Pao on Wednesday, Shun questioned why the heatstroke warning relied on the Hong Kong Heat Index (HKHI), as the index was not developed with workers in mind.
According to Shun, the HKHI was developed by the HKO and Emily Chan, the assistant dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), in 2014.
“When developing HKHI, HKO and CUHK only considered the heat stress effect on the general public, not labourers. Therefore, the research results regarding HKHI should not be applied to labour,” he said.
“The risk of heat stress for people who work outdoors for long periods of time has not been assessed.”
Pop in and out
Shun also said that the warnings “popped in and out” many times and “caused confusion.”
On June 2, the amber warning was issued three times, with the second alert issued only 10 minutes after the cancellation of the first.
“The intention [behind the warning] is good, but the result is unsatisfactory,” Shun said.
Shun suggested the heatstroke warning should rely on the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) Index, which has been adopted by a number of countries to indicate heat stress in the outdoor workplace.
He said if the Labour Department relied on the hourly average of the WBGT instead of the average value of the HKHI every ten minutes, the problem of fluctuation would be greatly reduced.
He added that the WBGT was also a more direct indicator for measuring heat stress for workers.
As HKFP reported in June, construction workers at both government and private sites said they had been unable to properly follow new guidelines for working under extreme heat, saying tight schedules prevented proper rest periods.
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