Military Discipline to Construction Safety Culture With Thomas Lippert

The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management · Apr 9, 2026 · 25m

“I don’t ever want to have to give that speech in this job.”

In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Thomas Lippert, Senior Vice President of Safety & Quality Assurance at Higley Construction. With over two decades in the military and 15 years transforming safety programs in construction, Tom brings a perspective that is both disciplined and deeply human.

We talk about why OSHA should be treated as a starting point rather than the goal, and how organizations can build systems that go further to protect people. Tom walks through his approach to leading…