The Doe Run Company’s (Doe Run) Brushy Creek Mill near Boss, Missouri, recently surpassed 12 years with no lost-time incidents – a significant milestone celebrated by the 22 individuals who work in the mill and contributed to the safety record.

“Protecting the health and safety of our employees is a core value at Doe Run. We make sure that our first point of contact every shift is to talk about safety,” said Joe Neumann, mill superintendent at Brushy Creek Mill since 2014. “We encourage our employees to keep safety top of mind whether they’re at work, home or anywhere else.”

Experience and teamwork both play a significant role in Brushy Creek Mill’s continued operations with no lost-time incidents.

Half of the crew at Brushy Creek Mill has at least nine years of experience, and they are dedicated to teaching less experienced crew members to work safely and watch out for each other.

Neumann highlighted Darrell Massie, a foreman who has been with Doe Run for 23 years, as an example. “Darrell is intentional about passing along his knowledge to new employees. He often works proactively with them to turn near misses into learning opportunities.”

In exchange, newer team members to Brushy Creek Mill bring valuable knowledge and insights from previous jobs to the operations.

“A good balance of old and new helps keep us fresh,” said Neumann. “Newer crew members are good at looking at things in a different way and asking thoughtful questions as to why we do the things we do. This provides an opportunity for those who are more experienced to share their knowledge, as well as think about whether making changes can help us operate better.”

Mill employees are responsible for processing the rock ore from Doe Run’s mines into lead, zinc and copper concentrates, which are sold globally. Employees operate mechanical equipment to break down the rock ore to the proper size for Doe Run’s flotation process. Flotation separates the copper, zinc and lead. After separation, the various concentrates are dried to the consistency of a damp powder before being transported to a port for global shipping.

Brushy Creek Mill’s 12 years with no lost-time incidents is the most recent safety milestone for Doe Run operations and employees. Sweetwater Mill reached 20 years with no lost-time incidents in 2017, and the Seafab Metals Company subsidiary has received the National Safety Council’s Perfect Record Award each year since 2000. Additionally, Doe Run’s mines have won the Sentinels of Safety Award 28 times since 1971. The foundation for this success is a companywide commitment to make health and safety a priority through safety programs and training. Each year, Doe Run employees complete more than 16,000 hours of health and safety training.

About The Doe Run Company

Based in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, The Doe Run Company is a privately held natural resources company and a global provider of lead, copper and zinc concentrates. Dedicated to environmentally responsible mineral and metal production, Doe Run operates one of the world’s largest, single-site lead recycling centers, located in Boss, Missouri, and mines from one of the world’s largest lead mining districts, also in Missouri. The Doe Run Company and its subsidiaries deliver products and services necessary to provide power, protection and convenience. Doe Run has operations in Missouri, Washington and Arizona. For more information, visit www.doerun.com  and http://sustainability.doerun.com.

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