Last week, the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (DoD IG) released three audit reports concerning electrical safety at U.S. bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. Two of the reports focus on electrocution deaths in Iraq; the third is an assessment of electrical safety in Afghanistan.
The DoD IG's investigation of the death of Staff Sergeant Ryan D. Maseth found failures of "multiple systems and organizations" in his electrocution death at the Radwaniyah Palace Complex in Baghdad in January 2008. The report found that KBR, the building maintenance contractor at the base, did not properly ground equipment during installation or report improperly grounded equipment during routine maintenance, and that KBR personnel had inadequate electrical training and expertise. The report also faults Army command and contracting officials for inadequate oversight.
A "Part II" report reviews closed and pending investigations into 8 of 17 other electrocution incidents in Iraq. No specific contractors are identified or singled out for criticism in this report, although it notes that contractors bear some degree of responsibility in several of the incidents.
The third DoD IG report, Assessment of Electrical Safety in Afghanistan, comes at a critical time. As we increase our presence in Afghanistan and award billions of dollars in reconstruction contracts under the Logistics Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP IV) contract, it is imperative that we learn from our mistakes in Iraq when it comes to the matter of electrical safety. The report notes that the military chain of command seems to have a heightened awareness of the risks associated with the electrical infrastructure in Afghanistan and has taken steps to address these issues, such as establishing a theater-wide electric code, stepping up inspections, and promoting electrical safety awareness among personnel. However, more needs to be done. The DoD IG recommends increasing the number of contracting officers and other personnel at U.S. installations to oversee the electrical infrastructure. It also identifies potentially dangerous situations at two particular bases that require immediate attention.
By a strange coincidence, on the same day that DoD IG released those three reports, Peter Taylor, a Marine who served in Iraq at Camp Fallujah, filed a federal lawsuit in Virginia alleging he was electrocuted in July 2007 as the result of the negligence of KBR, the camp's mechanical and maintenance services contractor. According to Taylor's complaint, he and other Marine personnel at the base had to rig up their own generator because KBR's main electrical generator frequently malfunctioned. While they were doing this work, KBR electricians arrived to attempt repairs to the main generator. He claims the KBR employees, despite being warned, turned on the main generator while the Marines were doing their work, causing Taylor to suffer severe electrocution burns on his hands and wrists. Taylor is seeking $2.5 million in damages.
-- Neil Gordon
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