Pattie, a 55-year-old cleaner in the New Territories, works outside for eight hours a day come rain or shine, or – as is increasingly the case in Hong Kong’s summer months – unbearable heat.
“I have to drink seven bottles of drinks a day, including water, homemade herbal tea, energy drinks, and more,” Pattie, who asked to use a pseudonym because of privacy concerns, told HKFP in Cantonese. “Sometimes, when it’s too hot, even the taste of water makes me feel nauseous,” Pattie said.
Last year, she experienced heatstroke for the first time, feeling dizzy, and experiencing blurred vision and a pain in her heart. Someone who lived close to where Pattie was working gave her some medication, and after resting for 10 minutes, she felt better and continued cleaning.
Pattie believes it may have been down to her age and the increasing heat in recent years.
There has been a very hot weather warning – issued by the Hong Kong Observatory when temperatures reach 33 degrees Celsius – in place every day this July.
On eight of those days, the Labour Department raised its amber heat stress at work warning, alerting outdoor workers to the risk of heatstroke. Because it does not make rest breaks mandatory, the heat stress warning system has been called out for being largely ineffective since its introduction last year.
Besides, the temperature alone does not give the full picture of the heat stress outdoor workers’ bodies are placed under, which is exacerbated by Hong Kong’s humidity.
High humidity changes the way that sweat, the body’s natural cooling mechanism, evaporates and inhibits the body’s ability to regulate its temperature. Not being able to cool down can put people’s health at severe risk, and can lead to heart and respiratory problems, dehydration, heatstroke, high blood pressure, and sleep deprivation.
At noon on Friday, when the Observatory showed a temperature of 28.3 degrees Celsius, various weather apps displayed a “feels like” heat between 30 and 38 degrees.
In the New Territories, where Pattie works, the temperature is often a few degrees higher than in Hong Kong’s urban areas. One website showed the area with a feels like heat of 43 degrees Celsius at noon on Friday.
Construction worker Eddie has recently turned his hand to renovating swimming pools. He usually works in the scorching sun for about two and a half hours before taking a few minutes’ rest in the shade.
“It’s not even the hottest time of year yet, but by the end of July or August, I’ll turn into a chocolate bar,” Eddie said, referring to the damage the sun will inflict on his skin.
He once fainted from heat exhaustion while working on a construction site. After resting for a little over 10 minutes, he said he had to get back to work.
“I can’t take sick leave because it will be recorded. If other companies see your record when they have job openings, they will think you’re weak and won’t dare hire you. So many people endure, and some end up losing their lives.” Eddie said.
Eddie said he thought the heat stress warning system was useless.
“Many subcontracting companies and management teams don’t follow it. Often, they have to catch up with project deadlines,” he said, adding that it was “a slight improvement” compared to having no guidelines at all, as was the case before its introduction.
Meow, 49, has been working as a food delivery courier since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Her days normally begin at 11.30 am, with lunchtime her busiest period. She rushes around Jordan and Tsim Sha Tsui carrying a large bag of takeaway boxes, often completing more than 10 orders in about an hour.
Last week, Meow felt dizzy and had difficulty breathing soon after starting work and had to cut her day short. Because of the contract she has with the food delivery platforms she works for, she was able to that as she does not have to stick to set hours.
“The weather is definitely hotter than before, and it will only get hotter. Humans have damaged nature, and perhaps this is nature paying us back,” Meow said.
Sallie Lau, project coordinator of grassroots organisation with a focus on environmental and labour rights the Centre for Community Care, agreed that extreme heat was happening more frequently.
“According to the data of Hong Kong Observatory, the number of very hot days rose to 54 days per year in 2023 and 2021, compared with the earliest data in the 1880s, when the number was in the single digits,” she said in Cantonese.
Lau believed that existing urban planning in Hong Kong was too focused on commercial and residential purposes, neglecting the importance of facilities such as parks and green spaces that effectively cool down the city.
“Although in recent years the authorities have started providing rest areas for cleaners, such facilities are clearly not widespread. As a result, many construction workers and cleaners still have to find shady spots by the roadside to have their lunch and take a break,” Lau said.
Mak Tak-ching from the labour rights’ NGO Hong Kong Christian Industrial Committee took aim at the heat stress alert mechanism.
“Everyone knows that the heat stroke warning system is ineffective, mainly because the guidelines are too complex and difficult to implement,” he said in Cantonese.
In the face of increasingly hot weather, Mak said employers should take the responsibility to provide heat stroke prevention equipment, such as sunscreen and hats.
“However, currently, most food delivery platforms do not consider delivery workers as employees and do not provide any support,” Mak said. “They may have to work continuously until they experience work-related injuries before the platforms activate insurance coverage.”
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