Vera Idiareh Pushes Predictive Safety Model from Factory Floors to Local Markets

A new shift is taking place in how safety is managed in high-riskworkplaces across Nigeria. Instead of waiting for incidents to happen and reacting afterwards, many organisations are beginning to adopt a predictive approach that focuses on detecting early warning signs. At the centre of this quiet change is safety professional, Vera Oghenefejiro Idiareh, whose work now cuts across both industrial plants and community spaces.

Idiareh has spent years working in food and beverage factories, flour mills and pharmaceutical environments where a single error can lead to injury, product loss or shutdown. Her Predictive Safety Intelligence Framework has been described by colleagues as one of the practical tools transforming daily operations. The method encourages workers to identify small faults, unsafe patterns or recurring behaviours that can lead to bigger incidents if not addressed.

Her results became more visible during her time at ChivitaHollandia where she oversaw the safety of more than 1,000 workers across 45 production lines. Within one financial year, the company recorded zero lost time injuries and a 75 percent reduction in total recordable injury rates. These outcomes were achieved through a shift in mindset that emphasised early detection of faults, near misses and risky behaviours that could escalate if ignored.

Beyond formal workplaces, Idiareh has taken her safety model into informal communities where accidents are common but hardly ever documented. One of her recent community interventions focused on Adatan Market in Abeokuta, where traders regularly deal with open flames, storage challenges and electrical connections without structured training. Working through a formal understanding with market leadership, she coordinated a training programme that simplified industrial safety concepts into practical steps that ordinary traders could apply. Post training assessments showed a 55 percent improvement in safety knowledge among participants.

Idiareh’s approach is supported by a strong technical foundation. She is eligible for the United States BCSP Certified Safety Professional certification, is a candidate for the NEBOSH Level 6 Diploma, holds ISO 45001 Lead Auditor status and has a degree in Technical Education. These qualifications, combined with her field experience, enable her to interpret global safety standards in a way that aligns with local realities.

She also brings financial discipline to her work. At KarbakVentures, she managed an environmental health and safety budget of 280 million naira and achieved 22 percent cost savings through strategic risk prioritisation and improved resource allocation. This, she says, is proof that strong safety performance and cost efficiency can support each other rather than exist in conflict.

Speaking about her approach, Idiareh said the goal is to help people understand that safety is not restricted to factories or industrial plants. “Predictive safety works anywhere people work or trade,” she said. “The same method that prevents equipment failure or falls in a factory can help prevent fires in markets or accidents in homes. It is about cultivating the habit of noticing danger early.”

As Nigeria continues to deal with rising operational risks in both formal and informal economies, her model offers a workable path toward reducing preventable injuries and economic losses. Through her work with organisations and communities, Vera Idiareh is helping establish a culture that values foresight over reaction, showing that many of the accidents regarded as unavoidable can in fact be prevented long before they occur.