WASHINGTON ( CNN ) -- An Army sergeant complained about faulty wiring in Iraq months before another soldier was fatally electrocuted in a shower in the same quarters , according to documents released Wednesday by a congressional committee . Ryan Maseth , a 24-year-old Green Beret , died in his shower January 2 . Sgt . Justin Hummer filled out a work order in July 2007 that warned , `` Pipes have voltage , get shocked in the shower . '' Hummer told investigators from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that at least once , he had to use a wooden stick to turn off the shower `` because the electrical current was so strong . '' Army records show that electricians from contractor Kellogg , Brown and Root found `` several safety issues concerning the improper grounding of electrical devices '' in February 2007 . In January 2008 , Staff Sgt . Ryan Maseth was electrocuted in a shower in the same quarters where Hummer lived the previous summer . A follow-up investigation `` found nearly all of the same problems and deficiencies that had been reported one year previously , '' a committee report states . Maseth and Hummer had been based at a Saddam Hussein-era palace complex near the Baghdad airport . Hummer 's concerns were not shared with the Defense Department 's inspector-general 's office . That office concluded that there was `` no credible evidence '' that KBR and the Pentagon agency that oversees defense contractors were aware of electrical problems at the facility , committee Chairman Henry Waxman said during a Wednesday hearing . But the Pentagon 's inspector-general , Gordon Heddell , said that his investigators `` have absolved no one '' and that he was not aware of the work orders Hummer filed . `` They 're certainly very dramatic , and they certainly are documents that we will have to spend a lot of time looking at , '' he said . Waxman , D-California , has led a House investigation into a series of electrical accidents in Iraq that he said may have been responsible for the deaths of 19 U.S. troops and contractors . But in the first appearance by a KBR executive before the panel , the company 's Baghdad engineering and construction manager blamed the Army for the deaths . `` The reality is that KBR 's actions were not the cause of any of these terrible accidents , '' Tom Bruni said . KBR is a former subsidiary of the oilfield-services giant Halliburton , once led by Vice President Dick Cheney , and it holds the largest U.S. service contract in Iraq . Bruni 's argument drew sharp questions from Rep. Tom Davis , the committee 's ranking Republican , who pressed him on who was responsible for the deaths . `` I think that the Army has some responsibility in this , '' Bruni said . `` Well , if they have some , who would have the rest ? '' the Virginia representative asked . `` Just conceivably , who else could have it , if the Army just has some responsibility ? Would KBR have some then ? '' `` The responsibility lies with the Army , '' Bruni replied . He said the Army never authorized the electrical repairs identified in early 2007 or in a follow-up report that November . But Waxman said the Army had been warning of electrical hazards in Iraq since 2004 , including one fatality similar to Maseth 's . A report that year warned U.S. commanders that contractors must properly ground electrical systems . `` But despite these warnings , few actions were taken by Pentagon leadership or KBR officials , '' Waxman said . Jeffrey Parsons , executive director of the Army Contracting Command , said the service does not have the expertise to adequately oversee contractors ' electrical work . The service is working with the Corps of Engineers `` to obtain this expertise , '' Parsons said . Maseth 's parents have filed a wrongful-death lawsuit in a Pennsylvania court against KBR . Despite the attention focused on the issue by Waxman 's committee , Sen. Bob Casey , D-Pennsylvania , said that poor wiring remains `` a genuine danger to our men and women serving in Iraq . '' `` My office has heard from several active-duty soldiers a report that as recently as three weeks ago , soldiers in Iraq continued to receive electrical shocks on a regular basis as they carry out their daily activities , including taking showers , '' Casey told the committee . Do you have a tip or story idea ? Send it to the CNN : Special Investigations Unit . CNN 's Abbie Boudreau , Scott Bronstein and Justine Redman contributed to this report .
Sergeant complained Wednesday before another soldier died . Soldier testified 2008 that he sent a work order to fix the problem in 2007 . Staff Ryan Maseth . Sgt was electrocuted in a shower in the same quarters in 2008 . Executive from electrical contractor KBR blamed Pentagon for wiring issue .