KBR, DoD ignore concerns for soldiers’s safety … again

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT
By Amy Weiss

Rep. Henry Waxman, Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, renewed his request to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates for information pertaining to the electrical hazards for soldiers in Iraq, in light of a New York Times report Friday.

The Times said that "Shoddy electrical work," done by former Halliburton-subsidiary KBR, "on United States military bases in Iraq is widespread and dangerous, causing more deaths and injuries from fires and shocks than the Pentagon has acknowledged, according to internal Army documents."

Waxman said the Committee has obtained many of the documents the Times has, but needs Department of Defense (DoD) cooperation in pursuing its investigation. It requested information about soldiers who were killed or injured by electrocution or as a result of electrical damage. They requested detailed information regarding Staff Sgt. Ryan D. Maseth, a Green Beret who was electrocuted in the shower in January.

KBR claimed their work had nothing to do with Maseth's death and other electrical fires and electrocutions, but internal Army reports suggested "a safety threat theaterwide created by the poor-quality electrical fixtures procured and installed, sometimes incorrectly."

Another Army memo about a facility so unsafe it could no longer be used said: "Exposed wiring, ungrounded distribution panels and inappropriate lighting fixtures render these facilities uninhabitable and unsafe."

Some former KBR-employed electricians said they warned their superiors at KBR and the Pentagon of the dangerous conditions but "supervisors had ignored their concerns or, in some cases, lacked the training to understand the problems."

This is not the first time KBR has come under fire for mismanaging its defense contracts. KBR has provided troops with contaminated drinking water, failed to account for over a billion dollars, and ignored and covered up accusations of gang rape of an employee on its facilities. However, KBR continues to receive billions of taxpayer dollars for services in Iraq and Afghanistan and has claimed immunity from legal action for any crime committed in relation to its work in Iraq. 

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT

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