KBR's chief defends electrical work in Iraq

Source: AP

WASHINGTON – The chief executive of the military contractor under scrutiny in the electrocution of U.S. troops in Iraq said Wednesday the electrical codes it used in the buildings it maintained in the war zone "were known and thought to be acceptable" by the Pentagon.

William P. Utt, the chairman of Houston-based KBR Inc. told The Associated Press in an interview that the company was not expected to meet the U.S. electrical code in a wartime environment. He said the company was striving to meet the British electrical code, which was more in line with the Iraqi electrical system.

Earlier Wednesday, Jim Childs, an electrical inspector hired by the Army to help review U.S.-run facilities in Iraq testified before the Democrats' policy committee that 90 percent of KBR's wiring in newly constructed buildings in Iraq was not done properly, meaning an estimated 70,000 buildings where troops lived and worked were not safe.

"When I began inspecting the electrical work performed by KBR, my co-workers and I found improper electrical work in every building we inspected," Childs said.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090521/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_iraq_contractors_electrocutions_7

They obviously didn't, because Brits aren't dropping dead in their showers or while washing their hands.

It's just sickening to listen to this guy try to justify KBR's negligence. Beyond that, IMHO, this situation seems to implicate the system of hiring contractors to do work in war zones. It's blatantly obvious that much of the contract work was unsupervised, if that work were done by military personnel 1) they would have received proper training and 2) their work would be supervised and subject to inspection.

that's right - stand right there, I just need to find a lightswitch really quick so I can see what I'm doing... now where is that darn switch again?