According to a lawmaker and a construction industry representative, Hong Kong’s outdoor workers may still lack sufficient rest under the updated heat stress warning system, as mandated rest breaks activated by higher alerts are not legally protected.
This assessment follows a Thursday announcement by the Labour Department revising the Heat Stress at Work Warning system to enhance protection for outdoor workers, after the absence of elevated alerts during record‑breaking temperatures earlier this month sparked widespread criticism.
Lawmaker Lam Chun‑sing, chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions, urged the department on Friday to extend rest days to workers with moderate workloads when the highest‑level heat warning is issued, thereby covering street cleaners.
“Apart from adjusting the triggering mechanism, the criteria for the highest heat stress warning remain stringent,” Lam noted, adding that all non‑essential outdoor workers must cease work regardless of workload when a typhoon signal 9 or 10 is raised.
Lam added that the frequency of days when the highest‑level heat stress warning is triggered could be lower than the number of days a top‑level typhoon signal is issued in a year.
“In such extreme heat conditions, permitting work stoppages that include workers with moderate workloads, such as street cleaners, will provide them with substantially better protection.”