Local
Rhode Island Energy worker hospitalized after electrical contact at Warren substation; 2,600 lose power
A Rhode Island Energy employee suffered significant injuries from an electrical contact at a Warren substation early Friday, knocking out power to about 2,600 customers for more than five hours. Police are investigating the incident, which sent the worker to Rhode Island Hospital.
WARREN, R.I. â A Rhode Island Energy employee was taken to Rhode Island Hospital with significant injuries Friday morning after an electrical contact at a substation in Warren, an incident that also cut power to roughly 2,600 homes and businesses, authorities said.
Warren police said the outage hit most of the town at about 5:30 a.m. Officers were dispatched shortly afterward to the substation at the end of Nobert Street after receiving a report of an injured man.
When police and Warren firefighters arrived, they found the worker with what appeared to be serious injuries. He was transported to Rhode Island Hospital, where his condition was not immediately available, according to police.
Rhode Island Energy confirmed that the worker was involved in an "electrical contact" at the substation. The utility did not provide further details about the circumstances of the incident.
Power was restored to all affected customers at approximately 11 a.m., police said â about five and a half hours after the outage began.
Warren police are investigating the incident. No additional information about the worker's identity or the cause of the electrical contact was released Friday.
The incident highlights the hazards facing utility workers who maintain the region's electrical infrastructure, particularly at substations where high-voltage equipment is concentrated. It also underscores the vulnerability of local grids, where a single equipment failure or accident can leave thousands of residents without power for hours.
Rhode Island Energy, the state's primary electric and gas utility, has faced scrutiny in recent years over reliability and safety issues. Friday's incident is likely to renew questions about workplace safety protocols at the utility's facilities.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Warren police.