Army News, news from Iraq, - Army Times

House wants details on electrocutions in Iraq

A House committee is investigating accidental electrocutions of U.S. troops in Iraq to determine if inadequate oversight of government contracts played a role in the deaths.

Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, asked the Pentagon on Wednesday to provide details on 12 deaths in Iraq since 2003 that are believed to have been caused by electrocution.

In particular, the committee is interested in maintenance contracts for troops’ living areas to see if contractors have been slow to make repairs when electrical problems have been reported.

Once the information is in hand, the committee will decide how to proceed, aides said. Waxman’s committee does not have direct oversight of the military, but it does have power over federal contracting, and is considering revising some rules after finding a variety of problems with other Iraq-related contracts.

The committee investigation was prompted by the Jan. 2 accidental death of 24-year-old Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth, who suffered cardiac arrest after being electrocuted while taking a shower in Iraq.

Army investigators found that Maseth’s death was the result of improper grounding of electrical wiring to the pump supplying water for living quarters at the Radwaniyah Palace Complex in Baghdad, Waxman said.

“When Staff Sergeant Maseth stepped into the shower and turned on the water, an electrical short in the pump sent an electrical current through the water pipes to the metal shower hose, and then through Staff Sergeant Maseth’s arm to his heart,” Waxman said.

Maseth’s death was not an isolated incident, Waxman said.

“According to the Army and Marine Corps, at least 12 service members have died in Iraq as a result of electrocution since 2003,” he said in a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates asking for information on contracts.

In October 2004, the Army issued a safety publication noting that five soldiers died from electrocution in 2004. The service warned that improper grounding of electrical wires is “a factor in nearly every electrocution” and “a serious threat” to soldiers in Iraq.

Waxman is seeking uncensored documents about the Maseth death, including investigative and medical reports. The committee also wants copies of any communications between the military and contractors in Iraq involving improper electrical wiring or the need to repair electrical systems at Camp Slayer or Camp Victory.

The committee also seeks the name, rank and last known address for all U.S. military or contractor personnel who have been injured or killed as a result of electrocution in Iraq at facilities maintained under contract to the U.S. government.