By South China Morning Post | Created at 2026-09-06 07:01:38 | Updated at 2026-09-06 07:28:55
30 minutes ago
Hong Kong labour authorities are open to classifying heatstroke as an occupational disease, the city’s labour chief has said, acknowledging the revamped heat warning system would have triggered stronger alerts on two exceptionally hot days last month.
Commissioner for Labour Sam Hui Chark-shum said retrospective modelling showed the revised system would have issued a black warning on August 8 and a red alert on August 9, when the Observatory recorded 36.9 degrees Celsius at its headquarters – the highest temperature since records began in 1884.
“If we applied the revamped Heat Stress at Work Warning system, we would have issued a red warning on August 9 and even a black warning on August 8,” Hui told a television programme on Sunday.
The heat stress warning system has three levels – amber, red and black – and advises employers on rest arrangements for outdoor workers or those in indoor environments without air conditioning.
Under the previous mechanism, only an amber warning was issued on August 9, prompting
criticism from lawmakers, unions and meteorologists that the system failed to reflect the severity of the heat faced by outdoor workers.
Amber signals significant heat stress and advises employers to arrange additional rest periods, while black is the highest warning level, under which workers performing heavy or very heavy labour should suspend work.
