Southeast Missouri Mining & Milling
Backgrounder
The Doe Run Company’s Southeast Missouri Mining and Milling Division (SEMO) is responsible for locating and extracting lead ore. The work takes place far below Earth’s surface, some 1,000 feet beneath the forested hills of southern Missouri. This area, rich in mineral deposits, is known as the Viburnum Trend. Named for the nearby town of Viburnum, mining and milling has taken place here for more than 40 years. Today, approximately 70 percent of the United States’ primary lead supply comes from SEMO’s six mines in Missouri, limiting the country’s dependence on foreign sources. While best known for having high-purity lead ore, SEMO also extracts zinc and copper minerals from its underground mines.
Community Involvement
Doe Run’s SEMO division is committed to serving the local community through educational initiatives, financial support and volunteer efforts.
Each year the city of Viburnum celebrates the history of the area with Old Miners’ Day. The SEMO division assists in the execution, finances and logistics of the event. In 2003, the division provided public underground tours to hundreds of Old Miners’ Day guests.
In order to further the industry’s future, SEMO sponsors annual scholarships to the Occupational Division of the Mineral Area College and to the University of Missouri – Rolla.
Several SEMO employees also offer their time and talents to the Boy Scouts of America, serving as scoutmasters, leaders, mentors and mine tour guides. Throughout the year, the division hosts complimentary tours for legislators, civic and community leaders, and members of the media. To learn more about mine tours, please email us at contact@doerun.com.
Safety Commitment
For SEMO division employees, safety is always top of mind. Each shift begins with a “safety contact,” reminders that range from safe-driving tips to fire precautions. SEMO also selects a safety slogan to serve as the division’s mantra for the year.
The division’s attention to safety has led to several industry awards and honors such as the prestigious Sentinels of Safety Award, an annual honor that is co-sponsored by the National Mining Association (NMA) and the U.S. Dept. of Labor’s Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA). Sentinels recognize the mine operation that works the most hours in a year without a single lost-time incident in its mining classification. SEMO has received the Sentinels of Safety Award 22 times in the last 32 years.
In 2003, two teams of SEMO employees competed in the annual University of Missouri – Rolla (UMR) Mine Rescue Contest. Doe Run’s teams won first and fifth place overall, first and second place in the Benchman’s contest (an assessment of the team’s instrument technician), first place for first aid, and received honors for “Best In-State Underground.”
According to the Mine Safety & Health Administration statistics, Doe Run’s Viburnum Trend mines are the safest underground mines in the world.
Contact Us
Southeast Mining and Milling Division
PO Box 500
Viburnum, MO 65566
semoinfo@doerun.com