Hong Kong heat stress: construction industry issues revised guidelines on alerts in bid to fix ‘confusing and impractical’ system
- Industry guidelines suggest workers take 15-minute break at 10am and a 30-minute one at 3.15pm when government heat stress alert is issued
- Measures jointly drafted by Hong Kong Construction Association, trade unions and subcontractors, and endorsed by Labour Department
Construction industry players in Hong Kong have reached a consensus on giving workers on site at least two rest periods of up to 30 minutes and a longer lunch break regardless of job type whenever the government’s heat stress alert is issued.
Industry leaders said they hoped the new guidelines, which took effect on Tuesday, would be a step forward in better protecting employees in scorching weather, three months after authorities introduced a three-tier warning system for heat stress at work.
The industry measures were jointly drafted by the Hong Kong Construction Association, trade unions and subcontractors, and endorsed by the Labour Department.
The association represents more than 300 companies, which account for over 70 per cent of turnover across construction projects in the city.
Godfrey Leung King-kwok, executive director of the association, on Tuesday said it was hoped the measures would resolve ambiguities in the government’s current anti-heatstroke guidelines, which unionists had called “confusing and impractical”.
