📋 Tender Overview
Following is a question by the Hon Lam Waikong and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare Mr Chris Sun in the Legislative Council today October 28
Question
As extremely hot weather has become increasingly frequent the Labour Department LD has earlier on announced further enhancements to the Heat Stress at Work Warning Heat Warning system including lowering the threshold for triggering the Heat Warning in extremely high temperatures However workers engaging in frontline outdoor work and working in hightemperature environments have relayed that while the latest mechanism has enhanced the sensitivity of the warning and increased the frequency with which higherlevel warnings are issued it still fails to accurately reflect the actual heat stress levels in specific working environments such as construction sites and restaurant kitchens Furthermore as the Guidance Notes on Prevention of Heat Stroke at Work GN lack legal effect it is difficult to enforce the rest periods for employees stipulated in the GN In this connection will the Government inform this Council
1 whether the LD has compiled statistics on the respective numbers of cases of employees suffering from heat stroke heat exhaustion or even sudden death while working in hot weather over the past three years from 2023 to 2025 among these of the respective numbers of cases successfully confirmed as work injury and covered under the Employees Compensation Ordinance if so the details if not the reasons for that
2 as there are views that the latest enhancements to the Heat Warning system still underestimate the heat stress levels experienced by workers who are directly exposed to the sun while working outdoors whether the Government will consider enacting legislation to make it mandatory for employers to carry out onsite heat stress risk assessments for their employees particularly in outdoor hightemperature workplaces or in workplaces lacking air conditioning such as restaurant kitchens and food processing factories if so of the details if not the reasons for that
3 given that even with the lowering of the threshold for triggering the Heat Warning frontline workers may still be forced to work in high temperatures due to the need to catch up with the construction schedule and are unable to enjoy the rest periods stipulated in the GN whether the Government will consider conferring legal status on the GN to enhance their effect whether it will consider establishing clearer legal liabilities for employers in cases where they require workers to work in high temperatures on the grounds of catching up with the construction schedule resulting in workers having to stop work be hospitalised or even die due to heat stroke if so of the details if not the reasons for that
4 as it is learnt that the LD currently conducts inspections and institutes prosecutions against employers who fail to provide appropriate heat stroke preventive measures under the general duty clauses of the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance Cap 509 of the specific numbers of prosecutions inspections and convictions over the past three years from 2023 to 2025 and
5 as the GN lack specific standards for heat stroke preventive equipment for outdoor workers whether the Government will draw up clear safety specifications for outdoor heat stroke preventive equipment whether it will consider including mandatory clauses in government public works contracts and outsourced service contracts across various departments requiring contractors to provide outdoor workers with heat stroke preventive equipment that meets the specifications
Reply
President
My reply to the Hon Lam Waikongs question is as follows
1 The numbers of heat stressrelated work injury cases registered by the Labour Department LD from 2023 to 2025 are tabulated below There was no death case during the period
Year
2023
2024
2025
Number of cases
31
29
33
Among the aforesaid 93 cases most of them have been settled after the employers paid compensation 65 cases or the employers and employees had reached a private settlement 3 cases In 17 cases employees withdrew or did not pursue their claims further Seven cases are still being processed while the remaining case did not fall under the Employees Compensation Ordinance
2 The LD launched the Guidance Notes on Prevention of Heat Stroke at Work GN and established the Heat Stress at Work Warning HSWW system based on the Hong Kong Heat Index in 2023 to help employers and employees formulate appropriate heat stroke preventive measures in response to the territorywide general heat stress level reflected by the HSWW and the risk assessment of individual workplaces based on the riskbased principle and thorough consultation thereby reducing the risk of employees suffering from heat stroke at work
The HSWW system indicates the territorywide heat stress level using the same principle as internationally commonly used methods which comprehensively assesses the territorywide heat stress risk level by combining various factors such as temperature humidity air movement and radiant heat The LD has continuously enhanced the HSWW system including establishing the linkage between the Amber HSWW and the Extremely Hot Weather Special Alert issued by the Hong Kong Observatory in 2024 adjusting the cancellation mechanism of HSWW to avoid reissuance of warning within a short time after cancellation and including data from more locations to adjust the criteria for issuing the HSWW to enhance the sensitivity and coverage of the system in April 2026 In the end of August 2026 the LD further enhanced the system by introducing additional triggering conditions and a levelraising mechanism on top of its original functions to enhance the warning alert under abnormally high temperatures
The GN is applicable to work that needs to be carried out under hot weather or in hightemperature environments such as work conducted in outdoor loca
