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Letters

Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words.
Public debate over Hong Kong’s recent heatwave has rightly focused on protecting frontline workers. However, one group remains largely absent from the discussion: site managers and project supervisors who carry responsibility for worker safety, project delivery and contractual compliance. Increasingly, they are being asked to balance those obligations without a clear framework.
Recent criticism of Hong Kong’s Heat Stress at Work Warning system has focused on whether the Hong Kong Heat Index adequately reflects conditions faced by outdoor workers exposed to direct sunlight. Three former directors of the Hong Kong Observatory have argued that the internationally recognised Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) might be more suitable for assessing heat risks at open-air worksites.
Regardless of which methodology ultimately prevails, the debate has exposed a gap between contractual requirements and operational reality. What should site managers do when local conditions appear unsafe but the official warning framework does not respond accordingly?
The latest generation of construction contracts increasingly recognises extreme heat as a potential ground for extension of time claims. However, such relief is linked to the Labour Department’s Heat Stress at Work Warning system.
That helps explain why the heat on August 9 raised concern. Despite temperatures reaching 39.8 degrees Celsius (103.6 Fahrenheit) in Sheung Shui, the Heat Stress at Work Warning remained at amber, the lowest level. Site managers who believed stronger precautions were warranted could have found themselves without the higher-level official trigger on which contractual protections depend.
The core issue the Labour Department needs to address is what happens when a site manager believes conditions on the ground warrant stronger precautions, but the official trigger on which contractual protections depend is absent.
In such circumstances, a supervisor who allows work to continue could later face questions about worker safety. A supervisor who suspends work could face questions about delays, costs and contractual entitlement. We cannot expect site supervisors to exercise discretion without a clear framework for situations where safety and contractual obligations collide.
As the government reviews the Heat Stress at Work Warning system, attention should extend beyond warning thresholds alone. Site-level WBGT monitoring linked to the Smart Site Safety System could provide supervisors with transparent and objective data for safety decisions. While construction workers are at the centre of today’s debate, reforms should also protect workers whose jobs require prolonged exposure to Hong Kong’s extreme summer heat.
Roy Ying, senior lecturer, School of Business, Hang Seng University of Hong Kong
Hongkong Post needs a sustainable revamp
When I was studying in North America, I was happiest when I received a letter from my girlfriend. The person I longed to see was Mr Postman whom I would ask, as the song goes, “Is there a letter in your bag for me?”
Now the tide has turned. Globally, the practice of sending traditional mail has dwindled. This is also true of our city, where the postal service is a self-financed operation. Sadly, it has recorded a loss for eight consecutive years, and the government is bailing it out with HK$4.6 billion (US$587 million).
Meanwhile, Hongkong Post has announced it will offer new employees, including about 200 people under probation, two-year agreements from September instead of permanent civil service contracts. The move is obviously a blow to those affected, and has alarmed the postal workers union. There is concern that this practice could spread to other civil service departments.
Given that the volume of mail being handled has dropped drastically, it’s natural that the number of people hired would have to decline. Hongkong Post is now competing with private services. It seems ridiculous to me that a government department like the postal service can incur a loss of over HK$800 million in a single financial year. In the private sector, this would be cause for massive reform, perhaps even a management shuffle.
Hongkong Post needs reform. The government shouldn’t have to inject funds into an organisation with a dismal financial outlook. It may be a long shot, but could Hongkong Post be merged with a profitable private entity?
Randy Lee, Ma On Shan


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Hong Kong society

Hong Kong needs clearer framework for handling high heat on work sites

A construction worker on site under the extreme heat in To Kwa Wan on August 10. The city reached a scorching 36.9 degrees Celsius on August 9, the ­highest temperature recorded since the Hong Kong Observatory began operating in 1884. Photo: Sam Tsang

Hong Kong aiming to revamp heat-stress warning system by end of this month

Authorities are reviewing thresholds for Hong Kong’s heat-stress work warnings following criticism over the system’s response to extreme heat. Photo: Sam Tsang

Labour chief Chris Sun says Hong Kong aims to optimise its heat-stress warning system by the end of this month. Photo: Dickson Lee

Why is Hong Kong’s heat-stress warning system for outdoor workers in the hot seat?

The record-breaking heat sparked controversy over the Labour Department’s Heat Stress at Work Warning system. Photo: Handout

Labourers work in extreme heat at a construction site in Central. Photo: Sam Tsang

All three former Observatory directors have urged the Labour Department to adopt WBGT, which gives greater weight to solar radiation, and revise its Heat Stress at Work Warning system accordingly. Photo: Sam Tsang

Calls for system review after lowest alert in force during record-breaking heat

Appropriate rest breaks should be arranged depending on the conditions. Photo: Karma Lo

A construction worker shelters from the sun in Central. Photo: Karma Lo

Opinion

Hong Kong Opinion

News

Hong Kong

Society

Readers discuss work supervisors’ dilemma on extremely hot days, and Hongkong Post’s financial woes


Readers discuss work supervisors’ dilemma on extremely hot days, and Hongkong Post’s financial woes.


.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Readers discuss work supervisors’ dilemma on extremely hot days, and Hongkong Post’s financial woes

Readers discuss work supervisors’ dilemma on extremely hot days, and Hongkong Post’s financial woes