Worker hospitalized after being electrocuted at Sappi mill in Skowhegan
A truck leaves Sappi North America’s Somerset Mill in Skowhegan in April 2024. The mill relies on the impoundment behind the Shawmut dam for its intake and wastewater systems. (Rich Abrahamson/Staff Photographer)
SKOWHEGAN — A worker was electrocuted by machinery at a Somerset County paper mill Thursday morning, officials confirmed.
First responders were called to the mill just before 10 a.m. for a report of a male employee who was unconscious and not breathing after being shocked while working on a machine at the Somerset Sappi mill, Skowhegan fire chief Ryan Johnston said.
“I can confirm an adult male was electrocuted, but I don’t know his condition at this time,” he said.
A LifeFlight of Maine helicopter was initially en route to airlift the victim to a Bangor hospital, Johnston said, but the man’s condition was stable enough that he was instead transported to the nearby Redington-Fairview General Hospital by ambulance.
Sappi’s internal safety team responded quickly to assist first responders, Johnston said. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the incident.
Sappi North America is a Boston-headquartered subsidiary of a large international company based in South Africa that operates the Somerset Mill. About 780 employees work at the mill, which is off U.S. Route 201. In addition to the Somerset Mill, Sappi operates mills in Westbrook; Cloquet, Minnesota; and Matane, Quebec.
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The Somerset Sappi mill has seen a number of safety incidents in recent years. The mill’s owners were fined around $13,000 last year after a worker fell some 40 feet while on the job. A large fire there in January last year took several hours to extinguish.
Still, Johnston said his department had received fewer calls for service at the mill in 2026 than 2025.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which investigates serious workplace safety incidents, did not immediately respond to questions about whether it was aware of or looking into Thursday’s electrocution in Skowhegan.
Business appeared to continue as usual at the mill after the incident. By 11:45 a.m., emergency vehicles had cleared the parking lot while workers’ cars remained. Semi trucks continued driving in and out of the facility during and after the incident. At least one driver was summonsed by police after refusing to pull over for responding firefighters, Johnston said.
This story will be updated.
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Tagged: morning sentinell, sappi
Dylan Tusinski is an investigative reporter with the Maine Trust for Local News' quick strike team, where his stories largely focus on money, drugs and government accountability. He has written about international. More by Dylan Tusinski
