Lead man

I would like to know what is the meaning of "lead man". in the following context:
The context:
, someone smells smoke in a silver mine and the following dialog takes place:

HOST VO
It was the end of a routine spring day in 1972 for shaft repairman Ben Sheppard. He had come off the graveyard shift and was riding the mine train when a coworker asked if he smelled smoke.

BEN SHEPPARD VO
Our *lead man* said, "Man, I smell smoke. Did you smell that smoke?" And I said, "Yes I did." And Ray Rudick just lit a cigarette with a match. Underground.

Thank you very much

I'm not familiar with the composition of work teams in silver mines, particularly, but "lead man" probably means the foreman of the crew. (It's "LEED," not "LED." The leader.)