TEMPE, AZ — A high-rise apartment complex under construction on Tempe Town Lake is facing more worker-safety fines after a second state inspection in two years.
An inspection in May at an apartment development called The Pier found what state regulators say are violations of safety standards, resulting in fines of $17,517.
The report by the Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health (ADOSH) said the inspector found 12-foot holes in the basement that weren’t completely covered, creating an area where employees could potentially fall in. The inspection also found pumps plugged into electrical outlets without ground-fault circuit interrupters to protect against electric shock.
“Working near water that is the requirement,” ADOSH Director Brian Hudson said at a recent meeting where the fines were approved.
ADOSH says the company, Springbrook SGC, is contesting the citation and fines. The recent inspection comes after ADOSH said it received a worker safety complaint about the construction site on Rio Salado Parkway in Tempe.
Last year, state regulators fined the company $40,177. It was one of the largest worker-safety fines levied against a small company last year, according to an ABC15 review of safety fines. ADOSH classified two of the violations last year as “repeat,” meaning inspectors found similar violations in 2022. ADOSH also fined three subcontractors hired by Springbrook last year.
Developer Rob Fransway, who owns Springbrook, declined an interview request from ABC15 on the recent fines.
Last year, he spoke at a public meeting when the ADOSH fines were levied, telling state regulators he disputed some of the violations and said other issues were corrected immediately.
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“In all my years of building - I’ve built 6,000 units - this has been a really hard project,” he said at the 2023 meeting.
He said he’s struggled at times to get enough qualified workers. He’s also dealt with delays in getting equipment.
“It’s a beautiful project,” he said.
The construction site, east of Rural Road and north of Rio Salado Parkway, will eventually be home to hundreds of people. More than 500 apartments are planned in the two, 24-story towers on the south side of Tempe Town Lake. It’s part of a building boom of offices, condos and businesses along the lake.
The first phase - more than 300 units - is expected to be finished in fall 2025.
ADOSH is not the only agency that has documented concerns at the construction site.
Tempe Fire officials told ABC15 last year they filed three complaints with ADOSH involving the work site since March 2018. Last year, they said they came close to issuing a stop-work order, which would have shut down construction. Their concerns included holes in floors and workers not using fall protection. But they said they held off on the shutdown after the issues were corrected.
Tempe Fire officials said they have responded to three medical calls at the site; two were unrelated to construction. They declined to release specifics, citing patient privacy.
Fransway, who has been in business for 30 years, told ABC15 last year he planned to contest the 2023 citations. A spokesman confirmed that ADOSH held an informal conference to review the 2023 inspection report but said the citations and fines did not change.
ADOSH said Springbrook SGC has not paid last year’s $40,177 fine and is now facing additional fines this year of $17,517.
Email ABC15 Investigator Anne Ryman at: anne.ryman@abc15.com, call her at 602-685-6345, or connect on X, formerly known as Twitter, and Facebook.
