GWP employee dies after fall

Karen S. Kim

A 38-year-old Glendale Water and Power employee died after falling

40 feet off a power pole, the first on-duty fatality in the utility’s

history.

Ralph Rodriguez died early Tuesday morning on what would have been

his 16-year employment anniversary with GWP.

Rodriguez fell from a pole in the 1300 block of North Jackson

Street at 11:25 p.m. Monday. He died from his injuries 3 1/2 hours

later at County-USC Medical Center, officials said. He is survived by

his wife, Jackie, who was not available for comment Tuesday.

“It was really a shock,” GWP General Manager Ignacio Troncoso

said. “When he fell, he was conscious and in a lot of pain. Everybody

felt that the fact that he was conscious and able to feel pain was a

good sign. We were all reassured that he was OK. It was certainly not

viewed as a life-threatening situation.”

Rodriguez, an electrical line mechanic, climbed up the power pole

Monday night to repair equipment that had been damaged by forceful

winds. The gusts that blew through Glendale on Sunday and Monday had

knocked a large eucalyptus tree into the power lines he was

attempting to repair.

Reports from other GWP employees indicated Rodriguez showed no

problems while climbing the pole, and officials are still uncertain

how he fell.

“We’re all shell-shocked,” said Frank Coronado, an electrical line

mechanic supervisor who apprenticed Rodriguez 16 years ago. “There’s

a lot of sorrow and sadness. Ralph had one of those big hearts, but

at the same time he was a no-nonsense type of guy.”

Coronado, Troncoso and other GWP employees visited Rodriguez’s

home in Sunland on Tuesday afternoon to pay their respects to his

family, Coronado said.

“They’re just shocked, but they’re doing OK,” Coronado said. “I

think they appreciated us coming by.”

The city is conducting an internal investigation into the

accident, and an independent external investigation also will be

conducted. Cal-OSHA, a state agency that reviews industrial

accidents, also plans to investigate Rodriguez’s death.

“This incident will definitely be reviewed so we don’t have

something like this happen again,” Troncoso said.

Electrical line mechanics are called on to climb tall power poles

on a daily basis, which they are trained to do, Troncoso said. The

mechanics strap on a large leather belt with a heavy, braided nylon

strap attached to its front. The nylon strap is wrapped around the

pole and clipped onto mechanics’ belts with strong steel fasteners,

similar to those used during mountain climbing. Strong spikes on the

workers’ boots are worn to brace them on the wooden poles.

Troncoso said Rodriguez was wearing all the required equipment

during his climb. However, because a protruding street light and some

telephone-wire equipment blocked Rodriguez’s ascent to the electrical

wires at the top of the pole, the mechanic was forced to unclip his

fasteners and re-clip them on his way up.

“Unfortunately, these guys have to clip and unclip a lot when

they’re up on a pole,” Troncoso said. “It’s the only way to get

around equipment, and that’s an opportunity for you to have problems.

That’s part of the nature of the work.”

Glendale Fire Department officials, who took Rodriguez to the

hospital, said Tuesday they were unsure of his injuries.

“He had a broken leg, and I know he had internal injuries, but to

what extent, I don’t know,” Battalion Chief Mike Haney said.

Rodriguez was a well-liked employee who also served as a union

representative.

Coronado said he was an upbeat, hard-working mechanic who always

had a smile on his face.

“He just loved people,” Coronado said. “He had no children, but

all the kids in his neighborhood liked to come to his frontyard to

play. He’d make them happy, give them treats and make them feel

welcome.”

All Glendale city flags were lowered Tuesday in honor of

Rodriguez.

The last Glendale employee to die while working was Police

Officer Charles Lazzaretto, who was shot May 27, 1997.