2 Investigates general contractor of San Francisco high-rise

SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - 2 Investigates has found several safety violations issued to the general contractor of a high-rise building under construction in San Francisco that was at the center of a brief scare involving a concrete pump and platform on its roof. However, a structural engineer and project manager who reviewed video of the structure told KTVU that the incident did not appear to be catastrophic or especially dangerous to the public.

According to records with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the contractor Lendlease has had at 37 violations recorded since 2007, including one that resulted in a fine of more than $200,000. But a representative for the company says only nine of those issued to the company’s California corporation were finalized, and the others were issued to an “indirect affiliate” of the company that operated in New York. Nearly all of the violations recorded were abated, settled, or both.

2 Investigates also found several lawsuits against the company over the years, including three settled or dismissed in San Francisco Superior Court that alleged dangerous working conditions.

Lendlease is a multi-national company that has built many well-known buildings around the world including One Rincon Hill in San Francisco. In comparison to other multi-national companies of a similar size, 2 Investigates found that Lendlease’s number of violations and lawsuit appeared to be smaller or similar to comparable corporations.