The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management · 2026-04-09 · 26 min
“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 indicators, structured training, and on-site accountability, sharing how he moves from reactive reporting to proactive prevention. We also discuss a less obvious risk: success. When teams believe they are already “good at safety,” attention slips, and that is when incidents happen. From drug testing protocols to safety audits and pre-work meetings, Tom outlines a system that keeps safety active, visible, and embedded in daily operations.
Other episodes covering the same guests and topics, from across The B2B Podcast Index.
The Financial Stakes of Risk Management in a Self-Insured Captive77 / 100
Systems Over Signs: How James Ferrell is Engineering Out Workplace Hazards79 / 100
How Vulnerability Beats Authority in Workplace Safety Culture with Lori Elam45 / 100
How to avoid the $300K premium trap in workers' compensation with Todd Thams60 / 100
Human First Safety Leadership and Scaling Culture with Derek Cox53 / 100
