Respite for workers on hottest day of the year so far
Hong Kong recorded its hottest day of the year yesterday as the maximum temperature soared to 34.6 degrees Celsius at the Observatory in Tsim Sha Tsui, prompting forecasters to issue a new heat alert for the first time and an amber warning for outdoor workers.
The Observatory said temperatures in most parts of the city climbed to 35 degrees in the afternoon, reaching 37.1 in Sheung Shui, 37.2 in Chek Lap Kok and 37.3 in Yuen Long Park.
The warning for outdoor workers, as part of a recently introduced three-tier system, was in force for three hours. A check by the Post found that more supervisors were aware of the new rules and had allowed their employees to take breaks, in contrast to two weeks ago when the amber signal was raised for the first time and few were aware of the system.
Approaching Typhoon Mawar brought hot weather to the city, prompting the forecaster to issue the new alert for the first time under its “special weather tips” service at 11.45am as the mercury hit 35 degrees.
The alert, which is triggered when temperatures reach 35 degrees or more, was posted on the Observatory website and sent through push notifications from its mobile app. It was launched last week to warn high-risk groups, such as elderly residents, of the health risks of extreme heat.
The amber signal under the Heat Stress at Work Warning system – which also includes red and black alerts – was in place from 12.30pm to 3.30pm.
Workers, depending on their categorised level of labour intensity, are advised to be given rests of 15 to 45 minutes every hour under the amber level.
The “Very Hot Weather Warning” has been in force since Monday morning.
In Kai Tak, a steelworker who only gave his surname as Chong, said he had taken several breaks under the scorching heat.
“The supervisor shouted out the alert on the site,” Chong said, adding that he and his colleagues went to a shelter when needed and did not track the rest time.
Law Ling, an outdoor guard at Kai Tak Station Plaza, said she learned about the alert from the news. As a supervisor, she said she sent a message to a group chat with her colleagues to tell them they could take breaks every hour in a designated staff room.
A cleaner, who only gave the surname Kong and works for Johnson Cleaning Services, said her company had made an announcement about the amber signal, but she was unaware that the weather forecaster had also sent a notification about it through its mobile app.
“Our hands are always on the trolley, how could we have checked our phone?” she said.
The Observatory earlier said that under the influence of Typhoon Mawar, which was expected to move northwards slowly over waters east of Taiwan today, it would be “persistently very hot” in the coming days.