The two workers injured in an electrical mishap this week in a manhole along Whistler Way are both in stable condition and one was expected to be released from hospital on Tuesday (Oct. 6), an official with the company for whom the men worked said this week.

One of the two workers suffered third-degree burns when he came into contact with an electrical power source on Monday (Oct. 5) at around 2:40 p.m., officials said.

The worker who suffered the burns was expected to remain in hospital in Vancouver for treatment, while the second was stable and was also in hospital but was expected to be released Tuesday, said Neil Sharpe, a manager with Langley-based Allteck. Sharpe was in Whistler to help with the company’s investigation into the incident.

The injuries to the worker who suffered the most serious injuries were “not extensive, but serious enough that they’re going to have to keep him” in hospital for treatment, Sharpe said.

Allteck was doing routine electrical maintenance work on contract for B.C. Hydro when the incident occurred, said Dag Sharman, B.C. Hydro spokesman. Immediately after the incident, officials shut down electrical power service to about 6,000 of B.C. Hydro’s 11,000 Whistler customers so that emergency workers could safely attend to the two injured men, Sharman said.

Power, which was cut off to much of Whistler Village, was restored in the Marketplace at around 3:45 p.m. Sharman said most customers had their power back on by 4:15 p.m., leaving about a half-dozen customers — who are served by the line directly affected by the incident — had the power back on by about 7 p.m., he said.

Sharman said B.C. Hydro routinely hires independent contractors to do routine electrical maintenance work on its facilities. He said Allteck has an “excellent safety record,” as do all contractors B.C. Hydro hires.

Allteck, B.C. Hydro and WorkSafe B.C. officials are investigating the cause of the incident, Sharpe said. When those investigations are complete, the three will share information and try to pinpoint the exact cause, he said.