LCQ9: Preventing employees from suffering heat stroke at work

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

LCQ9: Preventing employees from suffering heat stroke at work
Question:

Hong Kong has become increasingly hot during summer in recent years, and workers who have to work in a hot environment for long hours are at risk of heat stroke at any time. In the reply to this Council on the Estimates of Expenditure 2025-2026, the Government has indicated that the number of heat stress-related work injury cases registered by the Labour Department (LD) from 2022 to 2024 has shown a rising trend. There are views that the existing Guidance Notes on Prevention of Heat Stroke at Work (GN) is still advisory in nature and there is no mandatory requirement for strict enforcement by employers, so the occurrence of heat stroke-related accidents may not be effectively minimised if there is a lack of compliance of enterprises with GN. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) among the cases of “Occupational Injuries in All Workplace – analysed by Type of Accident” in LD’s Occupational Safety and Health Statistics in each of the past three years, of the number of heat stroke-related cases under “Others” and, among them, the number of cases which deaths were caused by heat stroke, together with a breakdown by industry; whether heat stroke will be separated as a standalone type of accident;

(2) while the optimised Heat Stress at Work Warning (warning) is now linked with the “Extremely Hot” special alert of the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO), some members of the trade have relayed that HKO’s data relating to heat stress has deviated from the actual temperature at workplaces (i.e. the temperature may not be the same in different districts), coupled with the deviation between the actual temperature of construction site at height and the ground level monitoring data, whether the Government will lower the benchmark of the Hong Kong Heat Index which corresponds to the three warning levels of amber, red and black, and at the same time enhance the Smart Site Safety System by leveraging technologies for real-time monitoring of the temperatures in various districts, so as to give accurate advance warnings and reduce the risk of employees suffering from heat stroke; and

(3) as there are views that the existing GN is not legally binding and the warning mechanism not only lacks stability, but also fails to cover all working environments, whether the Government will further refine GN or consider mandating the implementation of the workplace heat stress risk assessment through legislative approach, so as to ensure that workers can work in a safe environment; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

My reply to the Hon Kwok’s question is as follows:

(1) The Labour Department (LD) has been keeping separate statistics and records on cases of heat stroke or work injury cases related to heat stress. The breakdown of such cases by industry in the past three years is as follows:

Industry^ The case is a fatal case

(2) To prevent employees from suffering heat stroke while working in hot weather, employers should, with reference to LD’s Guidance Notes on Prevention of Heat Stroke at Work (GN), conduct risk assessments on heat stress for employees at work, and implement corresponding preventive measures based on the assessment results. When the Heat Stress at Work Warning (HSWW) is issued, it indicates that employees working in hot weather generally face a high level of heat stress risk. Employers should, taking account of the principles and recommendations of the GN, assess whether further control measures are needed, including the arrangement of hourly rest periods to reduce the risk of heat stroke.

     The HSWW is a territory-wide alert system established on the basis of Hong Kong Heat Index (HKHI) of the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO). The HKHI announced by the HKO is calculated from meteorological data measured at the King’s Park Meteorological Station, which integrates factors affecting heat stress such as temperature, humidity, air movement, and solar thermal radiation. The calculation formula of the HKHI was derived from correlation analyses of past measurement data and the overall hospital admission figures in Hong Kong in the same period. Hence, the level of the HKHI can appropriately reflect the heat stress and health risks posed by weather to the general public in Hong Kong. The HSWW consists of three levels based on different values of the HKHI, namely Amber, Red, and Black, which indicate increasing heat stress risks. When the HSWW is in force, employers and employees implementing corresponding work and rest arrangements with reference to the recommendations in the GN can, in general, effectively reduce the risk of heat stroke posed to employees at work.

     However, if employers and employees, having regard to the specific circumstances of their workplaces (such as geographical location and work environment), believe that the HSWW cannot timely or adequately reflect the heat stress risk faced by employees at the concerned workplaces, employers can conduct their own assessments, such as seeking help from occupational health professionals to measure the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature Index at the work site to assess the heat stress faced by employees and take corresponding preventive measures based on the results to reduce their risk of sustaining heat stroke at work. In addition, depending on the resources and professional support available at individual sites, employers can, where feasible, connect relevant data to the established Smart Site Safety System for monitoring and risk management.

(3) In accordance with the general duty clauses of section 6 of the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance, every employer must, so far as reasonably practicable, ensure the safety and health at work of all the employer’s employees, including the provision or maintenance of a working environment and systems of work that are safe and without risks to health of the employees. Therefore, employers are required to conduct heat stress risk assessments for employees working in hot environment, and take necessary risk control measures based on the assessment results to safeguard employees against heat stroke at work.

     To assist employers in fulfilling the above general duty provisions, the LD issued the GN and introduced the HSWW, enabling employers and employees to refer to the recommendations in the GN and develop appropriate, risk-based preventive measures according to the heat stress level, thereby reducing the risk of heat stroke at work. To enhance the stability of the HSWW system, the LD adjusted the cancellation mechanism of the warning system last year, effectively reducing the occurrence of re-issuing warning within a short time after cancellation, and avoiding the need for employers to adjust preventive measures repeatedly.

     We believe that the GN and the HSWW can raise the awareness and capacity of employers and employees in preventing heat stroke at work, and we will continue our efforts in organising various publicity and promotional activities as well as providing education and training to remind and assist them to take appropriate heat stroke preventive measures in accordance with the GN.

     Moreover, the LD will continue to conduct inspection and law enforcement work. In particular, inspection of workplaces with a higher risk of heat stroke will be stepped up during summer time to ensure that employers have taken appropriate measures to safeguard employees against heat stroke at work. If irregularities are found during inspection, suitable law enforcement actions will be taken based on the seriousness of the circumstances and the evidence available.
Issued at HKT 12:17

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