Federal Daily - March 21, 2008
Oversight Committee to Investigate Electrocutions
Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, on
March 19 asked DoD to produce all documents related to the department’s management of contracts
for maintenance of electrical systems in facilities occupied by servicemembers and contracting personnel
in Iraq. The inquiry came as a result of a request from Rep. Jason Altmire, D-Pa., who asked the committee
to investigate the death by accidental electrocution of Sgt. Ryan D. Maseth in January. According to
an Army investigation, Maseth—who was electrocuted while taking a shower in his living quarters
in the Radwaniyah Palace Complex in Baghdad—died because of improper grounding of the electric
water pump that supplied water to the building’s pipes. In a letter to DoD, Waxman noted that
the Defense Contract Management Agency had contracted with KBR Inc. in 2007 to perform maintenance
of Maseth’s building, and that while it is still unclear whether KBR was responsible for repairing
electrical problems, the company may have submitted reports related to the improper electrical grounding.
Waxman’s request also said that according to Army and Marine Corps statistics, at least 12 servicemembers
have died in Iraq as a result of electrocution since 2003. In his letter, Waxman cited an Army safety
publication in October 2004 that said five soldiers had died from electrocution in 2004. That publication
warned that improper grounding of electrical wires was “a factor in nearly every electrocution” and “a
serious threat” for soldiers in Iraq. To see more, go to: http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1824.
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VA Deploys Mobile Pharmacies
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) plans to deploy mobile pharmacies to ensure delivery of medicine
to vets and their families during major disasters and emergencies. VA said it recognized the need for
such pharmacies after hurricanes Katrina and Rita damaged VA medical centers along the Gulf Coast in
2005. Plans now call for the three mobile pharmacies to be strategically stationed at Dallas; Murfreesboro,
Tenn.; and Charleston, S.C., for quick response to disasters. VA said it also expects to acquire a
fourth unit that will be located in the western part of the country. Each mobile pharmacy is housed
in a 40-foot steel trailer built to withstand winds in a Category 3 storm, and includes a satellite
connection to VA’s Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy system. VA said pharmacists can use
the satellite system to access veterans’ prescription information to dispense drugs on site.
To see more, go to: http://www1.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=1469.
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NTEU Hails Senate Amendment Increasing FDA Budget
The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) this week hailed an amendment to a resolution approved
last week by the full Senate that would increase the Fiscal Year 2009 budget of the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) by $71 million, bringing the total increase to $375 million—the amount recommended by the
FDA Science Board. NTEU President Colleen Kelley said the Senate “is now on record as standing
together with consumer advocacy groups and the agency’s own employees and science board against
the efforts of the White House to shortchange the security of the nation’s food and drug supply.” The
amendment was offered by Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., who Kelley said also was “one of the first” members
of Congress to oppose the proposed closing of FDA field labs last year. To see more, go to: http://www.nteu.org/PressKits/PressRelease/PressRelease.aspx?ID=1237.
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