For the second time in less than a week, a state prison worker has been attacked by an inmate.

Department of Corrections spokesman Bill Lamoreaux says the incident happened Thursday morning in the Eyman Complex at the state prison in Florence. What is unclear is what led to it.

“Assaults are obviously something that the department takes extremely seriously,” Lamoreaux said. “This would now be I believe the 20th assault this month on a staff, the sixth involving injuries to the staff member.”

Lamoreaux says the medium-security Meadows Unit will remain under lockdown for the foreseeable future. Last Friday, a worker at the state prison near Buckeye was also attacked by an inmate.