Oversight committee asks Defense for information on electrical systems contracts
Solider was killed when an improperly grounded electric water pump sent a current into water he was using while showering.
Citing a dozen U.S. service members killed by accidental electrocution in Iraq, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Wednesday asked the Defense Department for information on its contracts for maintenance of electrical systems.
In a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., pointed to Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth, an Army Special Forces solider from Pennsylvania killed Jan. 2 when an improperly grounded electric water pump sent a current into water he was using while showering. Similar problems may have contributed to at least 12 fatal electrocutions since 2003, according to Army and Marine Corps officials contacted by Rep. Jason Altmire, D-Pa., who requested the committee investigate the issue, Waxman wrote.
Waxman noted KBR, Inc., a former Halliburton subsidiary, had a contract to maintain the building Maseth was in, although the company may not have been responsible for electrical work. The committee requested details on KBR's contract, reports on similar electrical grounding problems and information on all military or contractors killed by electrocution in Iraq.