Former Observatory Chiefs Urge Overhaul of Heat Stress Warning System
HKFP · 1 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
Two former Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) directors have publicly urged the Labour Department to overhaul the Heat Stress at Work Warning system, declaring the current methodology fundamentally flawed. Lee Boon-ying and Shun Chi-ming, both past directors of the HKO, published a joint opinion piece in Ming Pao on Thursday calling for urgent scientific adjustments to the warning thresholds. Their intervention comes after the amber alert—the lowest of three warning levels—remained in effect even as Hong Kong endured its hottest day in 143 years, with temperatures hitting 36.9°C in Tsim Sha Tsui and 38.9°C in Sheung Shui. The Labour Department has since committed to revamping the system.
Key Points
- Lee Boon-ying and Shun Chi-ming, former HKO directors, published a joint op-ed in Ming Pao urging the Labour Department to revamp the heat stress warning system .
- They stated the current Heat Stress at Work Warning uses an incorrect heat stress reference, causing systematic delays in issuing warning signals .
- On Hong Kong's hottest day in 143 years, the HKO recorded 36.9°C at its Tsim Sha Tsui headquarters and 38.9°C in Sheung Shui, yet only the amber alert was triggered .
- The warning system, launched in May 2023, features three tiers: amber, red, and black, designed to guide employers on worker break schedules .
- Lam Chiu-ying, another former HKO director, previously described the system as merely "decorative" before Tuesday's announcement that the Labour Department would revamp it .
Why It Matters
With climate change intensifying heat waves and pushing temperatures to record-breaking levels, Hong Kong's outdoor workforce faces mounting risks from heat-related illness. The former directors emphasised that extreme heat claims more lives annually than typhoons, rainstorms, and thunderstorms combined, making an effective early warning system critical for protecting vulnerable workers and preventing fatalities .
With climate change intensifying heat waves and pushing temperatures to record-breaking levels, Hong Kong's outdoor workforce faces mounting risks from heat-related illness. The former directors emphasised that extreme heat claims more lives annually than typhoons, rainstorms, and thunderstorms combined, making an effective early warning system critical for protecting vulnerable workers and preventing fatalities .