Electrician: Contractor did faulty wiring in Iraq

[May 20, 2009]  WASHINGTON (AP) -- An electrician hired by the Army to help inspect electrical work at facilities where U.S. soldiers operate in Iraq says 90 percent of wiring done in newly constructed buildings by one military contractor was done improperly.

The inspector, Jim Childs, says that means electrical work in about 70,000 buildings by Houston-based KBR Inc. wasn't up to code.

Childs made the comments in testimony prepared for the Senate Democrats' policy committee meeting Wednesday. A copy was obtained by The Associated Press.

At least three service members were electrocuted while showering at U.S. facilities in Iraq. Others were injured or killed in electrical incidents.

A KBR spokeswoman says the company was not responsible for the deaths, and the complaints are unfounded.

[Associated Press; By KIMBERLY HEFLING]

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