Hong Kong aiming to revamp heat-stress warning system by end of this month
Hong Kong’s labour minister has said authorities aim to complete a revamp of the city’s heat-stress warning system by the end of this month, following criticism that the alert level was not increased during record-breaking temperatures. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han said on Tuesday that changes to the Heat Stress at Work Warning system would require thorough preparatory work…
Hong Kong's Labour Minister has announced plans to overhaul the city's heat-stress warning system by the end of August, following criticism that the alert level remained unchanged despite a record-breaking temperature of 36.9 degrees Celsius on August 9. The current system, launched in May 2023, uses a heat index developed in collaboration with the Hong Kong Observatory and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, taking into account temperature, humidity, wind, solar radiation, and hospital admissions.
The three-tier warning system ranges from amber, advisory for additional rest breaks, to black, halting heavy work. Officials have acknowledged that the current system may not adequately account for the impact of climate change in Hong Kong. The Labour Department and the Observatory are working together to lower activation thresholds for temperature and solar radiation, aiming to make it easier to issue higher-tier alerts during extreme heat conditions.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post - Hong Kong's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
