2 more ex-Observatory directors urge gov’t to revamp heat stress index for outdoor workers amid controversy
Two more ex-Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) directors have urged the Labour Department to revamp a controversial heat stress warning for outdoor workers, after even record high temperatures triggered only the lowest alert. Lee Boon-ying and Shun Chi-ming, both former directors of the HKO, said in a jointly written op-ed in Ming Pao on Thursday that […]
Two former directors of the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) have called for the Labour Department to overhaul the controversial heat stress warning system for outdoor workers following criticism that the system failed to issue timely alerts during a record-breaking heatwave. Lee Boon-ying and Shun Chi-ming, both former HKO directors, argued in a joint op-ed for Ming Pao that the current Heat Stress at Work Warning is based on an incorrect heat stress reference, causing a delay in issuing warning signals.
The HKO defines heat stress using the Heat Index (HI), which factors in temperature, humidity, wind, and sunlight. However, the two ex-officials contend that HI is not suitable for outdoor workers, as it accounts for conditions experienced by people indoors in air-conditioned spaces. The two former HKO directors urged the Labour Department to revamp the warning system and base it on the wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) index, which better reflects the heat stress faced by outdoor workers.
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