Thirteen Americans have been electrocuted in Iraq since September of 2003 according to the Pentagon. It has ordered Houston-based KBR to inspect all facilities it maintains in Iraq for electrical hazards. Senator Bryon Dorgan of North Dakota questioned whether it can police its own work. Experienced electricians who raised concern about shoddy work and its hazards were dismissed and told "This is a war zone." Debby Crawford, a journeyman electrician with 30 years experience, said she was told, “This is not the States, and OSHA does not apply here, if you don't like it you can go home."
The mothers of two sons who were electrocuted testified about the deaths of their two sons, Staff Sgt.Christopher Lee Everett and Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth of Pittsburgh. Everett, a member of the Texas Army National Guard was electrocuted in September while using a power washer to clean sand from beneath a humvee. Maseth an Army Ranger and Green Beret was electrocuted while taking a shower in his barracks in Baghdad.
KBR used employees with little electrical experience to supervise subcontractors in Iraq and hired foreigners who couldn't speak English to do the work, former KBR electricians told a Senate panel investigating the electrocutions of the 13 deaths. Crawford and Jeffery Bliss, also a former KBR electrician, testified in the 17th hearing held by the Democratic Policy Committee which has been examining waste, fraud and abuse in Iraq and the performance of the country's war contractors. Bliss told the panel” carelessness and disregard for quality of work at KBR was pervasive.
“I beg you to do something to bring an end to the unnecessary cause of death to our soldiers" said Loraine McGee of Huntsville, Texas "They shouldn't have to worry about stepping into a shower or using a power washer in the safety of an established base." The mothers said the Army knew about the electrical problems months before their son's deaths. "KBR had inspected Maseths barracks and noted that the main circuit panel, the secondary feeder panel and the water tank were not grounded," said Cheryl Harris, his mother. Maseth's family has sued KBR.
McGee said she had been told by the Army that her son's death was unique. An Army report blamed her son's death on an improperly grounded generator that powered the power washer. But in April she leaned form a reporter that the Army had issued a report on soldier's electrocutions, calling them the "unexpected killer." The report urged the Army to ensure contractors properly ground electrical systems.
Bliss said,” Electricians were not provided the tools needed to do their jobs, and KBR hired foreigners who were not familiar with U.S. electrical standards and who didn't speak English."
Bad news but nicely reported.