Labour rights group says heat protections not enough
Labour rights group, the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims, on Thursday said around 40 percent of employers had insufficient measures to prevent heat stroke among workers during hot weather. The association surveyed around 400 workers, mainly construction workers and cleaners, between June and August 2024. The survey showed that nearly 50 percent of respondents had felt unwell while working under hot weather, with symptoms including dizziness and headaches. It also found that workers lacked sufficient rest time during hot conditions, with 40 percent of respondents saying they did not have the basic 10 to 15 minutes of rest every two hours, while nearly half did not receive extra rest during a Heat Stress at Work Warning. Siu Sin-man, head of the association, said employers misunderstood the guidelines from the Labour Department, leading to workers' rest times being reduced. "Because we only focus on when the heat warning is in effect, the employer needs to provide equipment or measures for cooling. But if they do that, they can reduce the rest time. This is the misleading information for us, because our calculation is we must have a basic rest time, 10 to 15 minutes, plus the extra resting time when the heat warning is in effect. I think most employers or employees do not know this information."  She suggested the government emphasise workers' basic rest time and eliminate the "rest time reducing" approach.  Siu believed that due to a lack of legal weight behind the current guidelines, employers may not be willing to cooperate proactively with the recommendations. She hopes legislation could be enacted in future to hold employers accountable.