Contract worker electrocuted at Geumgeo solar plant in South Korea
2025Published 31 Oct 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
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What happened
A short-term contract worker employed by KEPCO KPS, which provides maintenance services at the plant, received an electric shock at the Geumgeo solar power plant in Goheung County, Jeollanam-do, South Korea. According to a single OhmyNews report, the incident happened at about 10:40 on the 23rd of a month the report does not state clearly, and the article date is not shown. The worker, a man in his fifties, was replacing a component in a junction box when residual electricity passed through him.
Other workers in a four-person team found him and took him to hospital. He suffered burns but was reported to be out of danger and was still receiving treatment. The incident was reported publicly only later. KEPCO KPS said it had followed its safety guidance, had filed an industrial accident report immediately, and denied allegations that it had tried to conceal the incident.
Contributing factors
Residual electricity was present in the equipment during the replacement work. The source does not say whether the circuit had been isolated, tested or earthed before work began, nor whether a formal permit to work was in place.
Lessons learned
- Test for residual or stored electrical energy on junction boxes and string combiner boxes before any component is touched, even where the main supply is isolated.
- Apply lockout and tagout to every DC string and confirm isolation with a proven test instrument before work starts.
- Report incidents to the client and the regulator promptly, as the public report of this incident came after the event.
More lessons on electrical protection and isolation, worker safety and safe systems of work, emergency response and public communication, from every incident on the register.
Source
Published 2026-10-31. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
