Photo of FDH cleaning window from outside after Typhoon Mangkhut goes viral

A picture of foreign domestic helper (FDH) cleaning a window from the outside after Super Typhoon Mangkhut hit Hong Kong has gone viral online.

According to the Filipino helper who shared the photo online, the picture showed an unidentified FDH going outside of the window of her employer’s flat on the 14th floor of their tower in South Horizons after the typhoon hit.

She said the photo was taken at around 9 a.m. or while the Typhoon Signal Number 3 (the Strong Wind Signal warning) was still raised over Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Observatory lowered the storm signal warning from Typhoon Signal Number 8 to Typhoon Signal Number 3 (T3) at 5:20 a. m. but T3 remained in place until 2:40 p.m.

The Filipina who shared the photo said that it was her Indian employer who noticed the FDH cleaning the window from the outside and that he called the authorities.

“He was really angry when he saw this this morning. He was late for the office because of the typhoon,” said the Filipina, who asked not to be indentified.

“He took the picture and shared it with me. He also called the authorities,” she added.

Starting January 2017, the Hong Kong government prohibited FDHs from cleaning apartment windows from the outside and this is clearly stated in their contracts.

The government said if the worker were to clean the outside portion of apartment windows, the window should have a grille that is locked or secured and “no part of the helper’s body extends beyond the window ledge except the arms.”

The Labour Department has urged the public to call the police if they see a foreign domestic worker cleaning a window from the outside and putting her life at risk.

In July, an Indonesian domestic worker fell to her death while cleaning the window of her employer’s high-rise apartment in Tseung Kwan O.