Worker Hospitalized After Electrical Incident at Skowhegan Paper Mill

A worker was hospitalized Thursday morning after suffering an electrical shock while working on machinery at the Sappi Somerset Mill in Skowhegan.

According to the Kennebec Journal, emergency crews were called to the mill shortly before 10 a.m. after receiving a report that a male employee had been shocked and was unconscious and not breathing, according to Skowhegan Fire Chief Ryan Johnston.

Johnston confirmed that an adult male had suffered an electrical injury while working on a machine. A LifeFlight of Maine helicopter was initially requested to transport the worker to a Bangor hospital, but his condition improved enough that he was instead taken by ambulance to nearby Redington-Fairview General Hospital, The newspaper said.

Sappi later confirmed the employee was injured in what the company described as an “electrical incident.”

Company communications director April Jones said Sappi’s on-site emergency response team provided care until local EMS crews arrived. The employee was listed in stable condition and was later transferred to Maine Medical Center in Portland, where family members were with him.

Sappi also plans to make counseling services available to employees who witnessed the incident.

The Somerset Mill, located off U.S. Route 201, employs approximately 780 people. It is operated by Sappi North America, a subsidiary of South Africa-based Sappi Limited.

The KJ went on to say that the mill has experienced several safety-related incidents in recent years. In 2025, a contractor was fined approximately $13,000 following an incident in which a worker fell about 40 feet. Firefighters also spent several hours battling a large fire in the mill’s wood yard in January 2025.

Johnston said, however, that the Skowhegan Fire Department has responded to fewer calls at the mill so far in 2026 compared with the previous year.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration had not immediately confirmed whether it was investigating Thursday’s incident.

Operations at the mill appeared to continue following the emergency. Responding vehicles had cleared the property by late Thursday morning while trucks continued entering and leaving the facility.