Worker Hospitalized after Electrical Incident at Sappi mill in Skowhegan

A worker was injured in an electrical incident involving machinery at Sappi North America’s Somerset Mill in Skowhegan on Thursday morning and was later transferred to Maine Medical Center in Portland, according to local officials and the company.

First responders were called to the mill shortly before 10 a.m. after receiving a report that a male employee was unconscious and not breathing after being shocked while working on a machine, Skowhegan Fire Chief Ryan Johnston said.

Johnston confirmed that the worker had been electrocuted but said his condition was not immediately known. A LifeFlight of Maine helicopter was initially dispatched to transport the worker to a hospital in Bangor, but his condition stabilized sufficiently for him to be taken by ambulance to Redington-Fairview General Hospital.

Sappi communications director April Jones confirmed that a worker had been injured in what the company described as an “electrical incident.” The company said its on-site emergency response team provided immediate care until emergency medical services arrived.

The worker was in stable condition, Jones said, and was later transferred to Maine Medical Center in Portland. His family had been contacted and was with him, according to the company.

Sappi said counseling services would be made available to employees who witnessed the incident.

The Somerset Mill, operated by Sappi North America, employs about 780 people. The company also operates mills in Westbrook, Maine; Cloquet, Minnesota; and Matane, Quebec.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration had not immediately responded to questions about whether it was aware of or investigating the incident. Operations at the Skowhegan mill appeared to continue following the emergency response, with commercial traffic entering and leaving the facility.