Archive for September – 2008

Archive for September, 2008

KBR’s Tom Bruni & Joe Tedesco? What A Team

By Ms Sparky | Filed in KBR, Rants, Stanley Baker Hill (SBH), Task Force SAFE, Working Overseas

UPDATED!!! SEE BELOW!! Can it be?? Has KBR hired the electrical code expertise of Joe Tedesco? The Joe Tedesco?? “Joe Almighty?” KBR must think they are in real hot water because according to Joe, he didn’t come cheap.

Joe Tedesco has been one of those names in the electrical industry that has been around since I was an apprentice ….DON’T GO THERE!! Anyways, I had always been in awe of “Joe Tedesco the God of Electrical Code”. When he contacted me a while back I was just all starstruck. The mighty Joe Tedesco had honored “little ole me” by gracing my blog with his mere presence. By commenting on my posts. The comments are still there! You know how it is …when you shake hands with someone really important you think “I will NEVER wash my hand!!” Well, I thought…”I will never delete those comments!”

He told me he wanted to work in Iraq. He said he was doing a lot of Corp of Engineer training and wanted “hands on” experience. He asked about working for KBR. Naturally, I went right into my anti-KBR speal…KBR Bad!!! KBR Bad!!! I gave him DETAILS about how bad KBR was to work for. We were talking on a daily basis. He even called from a class in Virginia and put me on speakerphone to talk to his Corp of Engineer students who were deploying to Iraq. He even sent me pics…

Then I got an email about Task Force Safe and how they were hiring master electricians to be inspectors. They would be inspecting all of the DoD buildings. Most of which are maintained by KBR. I emailed Joe and said..”Send your resume here…NOW!!” He sent his resume to Stanley Consultants. He called me a day or so later and said he had been hired, $300,000 plus a year. We started going over all the stuff he was going to need and the stuff he wouldn’t need. Chit chatting…blah blah blah.

Then he started asking me about “living” at Camp Victory. Hmmm. I knew that working for Stanley (SBH), he would probably be moving around a lot. I thought, well…maybe SBH was going to use him in another capacity, so I answered his questions.

When I hadn’t heard from him in a couple of days, I decided to give him a call. That’s when he dropped the bombshell! “I’m going to work for KBR”. “Oh My Freakin’ God” just stab me in the freakin’ heart. I couldn’t freakin’ believe it. I said “You’ve got to be shittin’ me!” I was dumb founded. It’s like when Aniken Skywalker crossed over to the dark side and became Darth Vader and Tom Bruni was the Evil Emperer. I kind of felt like this was some kind of KBR intervention reality show and I was looking around for the cameras!!

He said…and I quote “KBR offered me DOUBLE what Stanley offered!” OK-Let’s do the math. Stanley offered $300,00 plus. So that means…KBR offered $600,000 plus? Plus he said he got his own room and own office next to Tom Bruni.

So….instead of working for SBH and performing an admirable service for our soldiers and civilians. Joe Tedesco chose to work for KBR. Chose to defend KBR. Chose to protect KBR. I’ll pass that on to Cheryl Harris, the mother of Staff SGT Ryan Maseth or Larrainne McGee the mother of Staff SGT Christopher Everett.

Once I denounced him publicly, he started harassing me by calling my house. He told my husband…in a nutshell…he needed to get control of me. That I needed to “back off”. My husband just started laughing his ass off. He has called many other people in the middle of the night to tell them to “back off”.

So, I think Joe Tedesco is a perfect fit for KBR. I have one question for Tom Bruni. If Joe calls and harasses someone while under the employ of KBR/OAS… does that make KBR/OAS responsible?? Just curious.

I’m just thoroughly disturbed that my childhood electrical hero is so superficial and ______(you fill in the blank). And if you don’t believe me…check out these threads.. and these are just the ones that haven’t been closed.

UPDATE: 10-15-08 JOE TEDESCO HAS HAD HIS MEMBERSHIP IN INTERNACHI REVOKED! I can only assume it is for the vile, vulgar, disgusting, childish participation on the Forum. And the alleged stalking and harrassing of other InterNACHI members that are planning on filing suit. Every day he shows just how well he will fit in with KBR executives.

http://www.nachi.org/forum/f19/cant-we-just-get-along-33264/ Joe Starts is harrassment on about page 2.
http://www.terrylove.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13681
http://www.nachi.org/forum/f19/ok-im-done-tedesco-32661/
http://www.theelectricalguru.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1221822866
http://www.nachi.org/forum/f19/electricial-inspectors-wanted-iraq-33065/
http://www.nachi.org/forum/f19/just-so-you-know-you-dealing-33200/
http://forums.jlconline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37504

Also, KBR electricians. Joe claims he was trying to track down my KBR employee commentors via KBR HR. For what… I can only imagine. So…take a good look at the photo and be careful.

OK-now you decide… I am now in need of a good electrical therapist. Feel free to refer me.

Personal message to Joe Tedesco-Don’t bother commenting your nasty vile hateful vengeful crap, that’s my job! If it’s not an apology…I will delete it. My blog…my rules. As far as the photo goes…it’s on the freakin’ internet!

UPDATE-I TAKE IT BACK. HIRING JOE TEDESCO IS THE BEST THING KBR CAN DO FOR ANYONE THAT IS FIGHTING THEM, SUING THEM OR OTHERWISE IN ANY KIND OF ELECTRICAL DISPUTE WITH THEM. MUST FORWARD THIS LINK. WHAT A JOKE. CLICK HERE TO READ JOE’S LATEST AND GREATEST INANE BABBLE.

Ms Sparky

Tags: Iraq, KBR, SBH, Working Overseas

IBEW Urges Electrical Safety At U.S. Bases

By Ms Sparky | Filed in Electrocutions/Shocks, KBR, Media Coverage, My Interviews, Politics, Working Overseas

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) has been the first to step up to the plate and lobby for the rights of US citizens working on US Government projects overseas. They recently published this article “IBEW Urges Electrical Safety At U.S. Bases” (pg 3) in their monthly national magazine The Electrical Worker. It has nearly 1 Million subscribers. Woo Hoo!!! Getting the word out!

Most people do not realized that once you leave this country OSHA, NEC and labor laws do not apply. Any implementation and oversight is voluntary. I worked on a US project in China. There was no government safety oversight. It was all up to the contractor. So, you can just imagine how safe that job was.

U.S labor organizations, for the most part, do not have jurisdiction outside the US and Canada. Regardless, the IBEW supports US citizens working for US contractors on US Government funded (your tax dollars) projects overseas. These projects may include the construction and modification of U.S. Military Facilities, U.S. Embassies and U.S. Consulates to name a few. The IBEW feels these US citizens should be afforded the same rights as their Stateside counterparts. They fully understand the importance of workplace safety and worker rights.

This is how I look at it. If it’s important enough for me to have a Top Secret security clearance to work on a specific construction job for the US Government in some God forsaken third world country, then it’s important enough that I have OSHA protection, OSHA oversight, a damn OSHA inspector on site!!!! I would like to have some labor law protection. No more threats to be fire if I don’t shut up about safety violations!! It would be great if the National Electrical Code (NEC) applied and was actually enforced.

I am convinced if these laws had already been in place, electricians and other workers would have had some recourse and the electrical catastrophe in Iraq would be non-existent.

My personal “THANK YOU” to Joe Esmonde at my IBEW Local 48 and to Dan Gardner at the IBEW International Office in Washington DC for their continued support and encouragement to “press on”!

It’s time for other Labor Organizations to get involved. Email me.

Ms Sparky

Tags: Iraq, KBR, Working Overseas

Electrical review turns up 3,700 fires in Iraq not the 483 reported!

By Ms Sparky | Filed in Electrocutions/Shocks, GOV. CONTRACTORS, KBR, LOGCAP-Fluor, Media Coverage, Politics, Rants, Senate & House Committee Hearings, Stanley Baker Hill (SBH), Task Force SAFE, Working Overseas

Somebody hasn’t been telling the truth!! Hmmm This article is from the ArmyTimes.com I am so glad to see General McHale at the helm! The top-Notch Master Electrician’s mentioned in this article are the ones that are part of the inspection team known as “Task Force Safe”. Click HERE to see that post.

Electrical review turns up 3,700 fires

Investigation began after 7 troops electrocuted

By William H. McMichael – Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Sep 27, 2008 7:24:21 EDT

The ongoing Central Command review of electrical malfunctions that have killed at least seven troops and a contractor at U.S.-occupied buildings in Iraq has uncovered more than 3,700 fires at those facilities from May 2007 to August 2008.

The total dwarfs the 483 fires at contractor-maintained facilities reported to Congress at a July 30 hearing, which the command’s 15-member Task Force for Safety Actions for Fire and Electricity now says was the five-month figure for one region, not all of Iraq.

But not all of the 3,726 fires reported were a result of electrical malfunctions, the task force says. Only about 820 were definitively characterized as electrical fires, with about 275 of those resulting from “fluorescent light ballast” malfunctions. The causes of the vast majority of the fires were “undetermined.”

On average, 4.2 fires per day have taken place over the past five weeks at U.S. facilities in Iraq, the task force said. These ranged from power strip flare-ups to full-blown fires, Maj. Gen. Tim McHale, who leads the task force, said in a Sept. 15 telephone interview.

Most, but not all, of the 86,000 U.S.-occupied buildings in Iraq are managed by KBR Inc., McHale said. KBR and Army Contracting Command came under fire in that July hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, whose members were particularly incensed over what is now re¬ported as 18 deaths — an increase of two from earlier reports — because of inadvertent electrocutions, most of them involving U.S. troops, recorded in Iraq since 2003.

Ten of the deaths, however, were not a result of poor electrical work but occurred when four Marines, four soldiers, one sailor and one third-country national Army contractor came into contact with live power lines, according to the task force.

The other deaths, however, apparently were accidental electrocutions while working with power equipment and in two instances, most disturbing to the committee, while taking showers. A Marine, six soldiers and a Navy contractor were killed.

Two of the deaths that of the Army contractor and Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth, a Green Beret who died Jan. 2 while taking a shower at the Radwaniyah Palace Complex in Baghdad remain under investigation, the task force said.

Government testimony cited a lack of skilled or trained personnel to perform contractor oversight.

McHale said that and other problems are being fixed.

He said the task force is assessing the probability of electrical hazards at the tens of thousands of U.S. facilities in Iraq. None have been placed off limits, but commanders can decide whether to move troops to safer facilities or have a given facility repaired. Meanwhile, inspectors are working first where the risk is greatest, McHale said.

“We are still wrapping our arms around this,” he said. “It’s going to take us several months to work our way through it.”

All of those facilities are tracked on multiple databases. McHale wants to create a joint database to make easier the process of tracking and repairing problems.

The task force also is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to contract with “top-notch” master electricians and fire inspectors and get them to Iraq over the next several weeks to bolster the ongoing facilities review.

Despite that level of expertise, they’ll be pre-tested in the U.S. and run through a seven-day training course in Iraq for certification — something all potential contractors will have to pass, McHale said.

Those efforts are part of a three-pronged plan of attack that McHale said includes:

• A safety awareness campaign.

• Development of new plans, policies and standards that include incident reporting and closing the loop on such reports, and creating a uniform electrical code for U.S. facilities in Iraq, as ordered by former Multi-National Force-Iraq commander Gen. David Petraeus.

• Establishment of the training standards.

“We ask our service members to risk their lives every day combating terrorism,” McHale said. “We must ensure they’re as safe as possible when they return from their missions.”

Tags: Electrocutions/Shocks, Fluor*, Iraq, KBR, SBH, Working Overseas

Task Force SAFE

By Ms Sparky | Filed in Electrocutions/Shocks, KBR, Senate & House Committee Hearings, Stanley Baker Hill (SBH), Task Force SAFE

TASK FORCE SAFE

(This posting edited 11/03/08 – See Below) The aptly named project that conducts electrical inspections for nearly 90,000 DoD buildings and structures in Iraq.

The DCMA has been charged with this monumental task and has enlisted the expertise of USACE and Stanley Baker & Hill (SBH) a joint venture of Stanley Consultants, Michael Baker Jr. Co., and Hill International.

SBH has recently hired 70 Master Electricians and 37 Fire Inspectors. They have paid them very well in order to get the best of the best.

There will be 35 teams that will inspect each and every DoD building and structure for electrical deficiencies and fire hazards. Deficiencies will be recorded and reported. Hopefully there will be a system in place to mitigate serious electrical and fire hazards immediately. Such as those pictured in the photo above.

There is no doubt in my mind that KBR has taken serious objection to this new series of inspections. Earlier this year, KBR was tasked by General Petraeus to inspect “themselves” in light of the electrocution deaths of SSG Ryan Maseth, SGT Christpoher Everett and other soldiers and civilians. As I recall from my very own Senate DPC testimony, when asked if I felt this was effective oversight I replied “That’s like the fox watching the hen house!”.

Any and every electrical discrepancy that SBH records shines a negative light on KBR. Especially if it contradicts KBR’s own inspection reports. It could very well call KBR’s credibility into question. (OK I tried to say that with a straight face but just can’t so now I’m….LMAO)

KBR has 100′s of Millions if not Billions of DoD dollars at stake. At least two pending lawsuit for wrongful death by electrocuted soldiers families. Not to mention current and upcoming lawsuits by injured civilians and soldiers families due to shoddy electrical work. It is my suspicion that KBR will be doing what they can to discredit and invalidate the SBH inspectors and inspections at ever opportunity. They have to. If they don’t…they have to concede to the fact their work was shoddy and management poor and ineffective. They can’t really do that now can they.

Also, knowing KBR, they will do everything they can to prove that every damn finding is not repairable under the current contract and will insist on a new $Work Order$ to make repairs that should have been done right the first time. $$Ka-ching…Ka-ching$$ Hopefully these inspection results will not turn out to be another “cash cow” for KBR.

I am so glad to see the DoD and DCMA pursuing this resolution. This is the path to reducing if not eliminating electrical fires, injuries and electrocution deaths.

We are where we are today because of mother’s like Cheryl Harris and Larraine McGee who said “NO! I will not shut up! NO! I will not go away until I get answers!” Now they fight so that other families will not get the same phone call they did.

That’s what this is about. It’s not really about KBR. It’s not about inspections. It’s not about DoD or DCMA. It’s about Soldiers. It’s about Soldiers families. It’s about sons and daughter, husbands and wives, mothers and fathers. It’s about PEOPLE PROTECTING PEOPLE!!!

The recent electrocution death of an Afghan soldier at a US base in Afghanistan and the serious injury of a KBR electrician in Iraq just reinforces how important these inspections are.

“Let The Inspections Begin!!!”

Ms Sparky

Update: 11/3/08 I was recently corrected on what’s what with Task Force Safe: Here is an excerpt from the email. Thank you for the correction!

USACE and SBH have not been given the task of TF SAFE. TF SAFE in under DCMA but is really independent of all agencies. TF Safe started members of the Army 249th prime power doing inspections of facilities. TF SAFE trained these prime power Army members for 7 days. They were taught how to inspect these lower voltage installations.

TF SAFE also contacted the USACE to provide 70 Master Electricians,35 Fire Inspectors, a forensic fire investigator and several other key personnel. USACE then provided some of the Corps own Master Electricians to temporarily fill some of the positions. USACE then used their sub-contractor SBH to provide the workforce to TF Safe. All of the Master Electricians and Fire Inspectors then work for TF Safe. They are given 7 days of training and tested for their knowledge. If they fail these
tests they are released from TF Safe.

The USACE and SBH are only providing workers and they are NOT in charge of TF Safe

Tags: Cheryl Harris, DCMA*, Defense Contract Management Agency*, Electrocutions/Shocks, Iraq, KBR, SBH

180 Volts From Water Stream To Ground #2

By Ms Sparky | Filed in Electrocutions/Shocks, Iraq Wiring Method Quiz, KBR, Working Overseas

This is a follow up post to the one previous. This photo was sent to me by the same person. It is in the same bathroom. Notice I have added water marks to the photos I don’t want photo shopped. Please don’t manipulate the readings on these flukes. These readings are real. I’m sure that sounded like a challenge to every damn photo shopper out there! But seriously!

In a nutshell….This meter is reading 231.1 volt ac between the flexible metal plumping hose on the water heater and the grounded screw at the junction box. For you non electrical types…this is very very bad. This is how people die. You should not have to do a voltage test before you brush your teeth or pee!!!

These photos have caused quite a stir on the electrical forums. Some people thought they might have been staged or otherwise manipulated. I know some find it hard to believe that Americans are exposed to these kinds of hazards in Iraq and Afghanistan. But it’s true and it has to stop.

Manipulating these photos would not lend credibility to me or to the cause of getting the laws changed to protect Americans on US facilities overseas. For me…it’s all about get the NEC and OSHA to apply.

Yes, this was troubleshot and repaired. During manufacture or a repair, the hot lead was terminated on the ground post and the ground on the hot post of the hot water heater. The ground in the feeder cable was cut out. That’s a recipe for disaster.

Ms Sparky

Tags: Iraq, KBR