Hong Kong lawmaker presses Labour Department on heat warning system gaps
Lawmaker Lam Wai Kong questions whether Hong Kong's enhanced heat warning system accurately reflects workplace heat stress and whether the heat prevention guidelines should become legally binding. The Labour Department reports 93 heat-related work injury cases from 2023 to 2025, with no fatalities,
Hong Kong lawmaker Lam Wai Kong has pressed the Labour Department on the effectiveness of its enhanced "Heat Stress at Work Warning" system, questioning whether recent changes adequately protect outdoor and high-temperature workers. In a legislative question published on 28 October 2026, Lam noted that while the system's trigger thresholds have been lowered, frontline workers in environments such as construction sites and restaurant kitchens say the warnings still fail to reflect actual heat stress levels, and that the accompanying heat prevention guidelines lack legal force.
Responding for the government, the Labour Department disclosed that from 2023 to 2025 it recorded 93 heat-stress-related work injury cases, with no fatalities. Of these, 65 cases were resolved through employer compensation, three through settlement, 17 through withdrawal or discontinuation of claims, seven remain under processing, and one fell outside the Employees' Compensation Ordinance.
The department defended the warning system, saying it uses the same heat-stress measurement principles as international standards, combining temperature, humidity, airflow and thermal radiation. It noted recent improvements: linking the yellow warning to the Observatory's "Extreme Hot Weather" special notice in 2024, adjusting cancellation thresholds, and refining trigger criteria in April 2026 to boost sensitivity. A further upgrade in August 2026 added extra trigger conditions and a mechanism to raise warning levels for abnormal heat.
On the question of making the guidelines legally binding, the department pointed to the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance, which already requires employers to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, a safe working environment. Employers must conduct heat-stress risk assessments and take appropriate measures. The department said it will continue targeted inspections of high-risk workplaces, including construction and catering, and enhance enforcement and education.
Regarding enforcement, the Labour Department conducted 21,493, 23,620 and 23,054 surprise inspections in the summers of 2023, 2024 and 2025 respectively. It issued 993, 1,031 and 708 warning letters each year, mainly for failing to conduct heat-stress risk assessments or keep records. No serious violations warranting prosecution under the ordinance's general duty clause were found. The department said it will adjust inspection frequency and review enforcement thresholds as climate change brings more heat-stress events.
On protective equipment standards, the department noted there is no internationally accepted uniform specification for outdoor heat-protection gear. It said it will monitor international developments. Since 2023, the government has required bidders for service contracts to submit heat-prevention plans for non-technical staff, and several departments now include requirements such as breathable uniforms and portable waist fans for outdoor workers.