A look inside Florida’s only lead smelter
Last week, federal regulators spent five days inspecting the Gopher Resource lead smelter in Tampa after the Tampa Bay Times published Poisoned, a series based on an 18-month investigation on working conditions at the plant.
It was the first time in five years that inspectors from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration had visited the factory, which recycles lead from car batteries.
Workers provided the Times photos that showed Gopher Resource had been preparing for regulators by addressing some issues within the facility, where the lead is melted down and reforged into new blocks.
But what it’s like inside Florida’s only lead smelter?
Workers shared photos and videos of unclean and hazardous conditions, including instances in which employees narrowly escaped serious injury. View the full collection of images here.
