'Fan jackets should be compulsory for outdoor workers'
A construction industry representative said on Saturday the cordless fan jacket is one of the most effective ways of reducing heat stress for outdoor workers and should be made compulsory to protect them against extreme heat. The call comes as Hong Kong swelters through an unusually hot summer – with temperatures hitting a record 36.9 degrees Celsius on August 9th, the highest since records began…
A Hong Kong construction union leader has called for cordless fan jackets to be made mandatory for outdoor workers. Chau Sze-kit, chairman of the Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union, spoke on a radio show about the effectiveness of the fan jackets in combating heat stress. These jackets, equipped with two fans near the lower back, are designed to circulate air and aid workers in hot and humid conditions.
Chau proposed that laws be revised to compel employers to supply these jackets to their staff. However, the issue lies in the fact that workers currently have to purchase them independently. Chau urged the Labour Department and other authorities to consider updating contracts or regulations to make the fan jacket a necessary part of personal protective equipment, akin to a safety helmet.
Meanwhile, a deputy chairman of the Legislative Council's manpower affairs panel, Lam Chun-sing, suggested reviewing the Employees Compensation Ordinance to include heatstroke as an occupational disease. Currently, heatstroke is not recognized as an occupational disease, and for workers to claim compensation, they must prove that their condition was directly caused by their work - a challenging task in practice.
Both the Labour Department and the Observatory are currently working on enhancements to the Heat Stress at Work Warning system, aiming to implement these changes by the end of the month.
Written by urgent.news from RTHK News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
