According to Korea Electrical Safety Corporation, there have been 194 casualties due to electric shock accidents in power lines in the past 5 years (2015-2019).

From 2016 to 2020, the number of electric shock accidents during power line construction for Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) is 118, injuring 108 people and claiming 10 lives. Industrial disasters due to electric shock on the site continue to occur.

In particular, among 118 workers in electric shock accidents in the past 5 years, only 7 (6%) came from KEPCO, while 111 (94%) came from its subcontractors, which reveals a serious issue of outsourcing dangerous jobs to subcontractors.

Meanwhile, in principle, KEPCO abolished  direct live line work (where people perform work in direct contact with a power line through which electricity is running) in 2016 for its higher risk of accidents as workers replace power lines while being exposed to electricity, and has expanded indirect live line work where workers can work by using hot sticks (insulated poles) without being exposed to electricity.

Indirect live line work, however, takes longer construction time than direct live line work, which increases labor costs. As such, construction companies still use direct live line work.

In this regard, this Act aims to eradicate direct live line work to improve the safety and health of electrical workers by adding “any work performed in direct contact with people on a power line through which electricity is running” to harmful work prohibited for contracts, and imposing up to 1 billion won in fines for any violation (Article 58 paragraph 1 subparagraph 4 newly inserted).

Add “any work performed in direct contact with people on a power line through which electricity is running” to harmful work prohibited for contracts, and impose up to 1 billion won in fines for any violation (Article 58 paragraph 1 subparagraph 4 newly inserted).