July may usher the arrival of typhoons in Hong Kong but in their absence, the stifling heat, coupled with extreme humidity, is definitely going to spoil your day. While Hong Kong’s buildings are often frozen through genenerous distribution of air-conditioning units, staying outdoors can be a terrible experience. The city is currently enduring one of its hottest summers on record and that means  bad news especially to postal workers, street sweepers and those whose occupations are at the mercy of the weather.

The Hong Kong Observatory recorded a max temperature of 34.5 deg Celsius early in June, the highest recorded in the month since 1980. While the figure pales in comparison to say, countries in the Middle East whose temperatures often breach the 40s, this is already enough to trigger heatstroke and other heat-related fatigues. This is a special concern for construction workers who help realize the multi-billion dreams of developers through high-rise offices and residential buildings. There are already nine reported heatstroke cases in May and June, where temperature haven’t been typically as high as July or August.

If construction workers in the scorching conditions of outdoor workplaces feel bad enough, being at sealed unventilated interiors at a few degrees hotter than the outside is even less bearable. With global warming effects pushing temperatures higher, I think it’s about time the government thought about imposing laws that protect workers from extreme conditions. For example, at temperatures exceeding certain limits, workers are automatically allowed breaks from conditions that may cause fatigue and health-related illnesses. In a city where construction work remains one of the most visible signs of economic resurgence, hopefully contractors will provide ample support to workers such as accessible drinking water, proper ventilation and first aid assistance for those who suffer heat fatigue.

Hopefully, these workers get all the support they deserve to get. After all, they’re working conditions and payscale may not be as high as white collar professionals who work in more comfortable spaces — if air conditioning units are set at chilling levels. Another thing to note is that accidents at construction sites not only involve falling cranes or loose scaffoldings; collapsing workers due to heat exhaustion also happens, sometimes in serious conditions.