PITTSBURGH – Antonis Papadourakis, chief executive of the North American operations of specialty chemicals producer Lanxess Corp., was working as a manager for another company when the phone rang at 4:30 a.m.
"This is the call you don't want to get at any time," he said.
An employee had lost part of a limb in an industrial accident.
First, Papadourakis went to the hospital and learned the employee was being treated and was out of danger. Then he headed to the plant, where he saw a large sign posted near where the accident occurred that warned workers not to put their hands inside the equipment.
"You believe that if you put signs up to use this or don't use this, people will follow them. But I learned the suggestion is not enough. Safety has to be ingrained in someone's mind."
As a chemical engineer who oversaw process controls early in his career, Papadourakis, 58, said safety issues have always been on his radar. But the accident reshaped his thinking about how critical it is to address safety at all levels of the company — and even off the job.
"You can never be complacent," he said. "It's not just when you come to work. At home with power tools, you need safety gloves and glasses, and when you mow the lawn, you need to wear safety shoes."
During a recent interview in his office at Lanxess' North American headquarters outside Pittsburgh, Papadourakis was planning to fly to Greensboro, N.C., the following day to celebrate with workers at a Lanxess plant who had completed a full year with no accidents.
