As OSH professionals, we talk about incident rates, reportable injuries and illnesses, workers’ compensation losses, experience modifier rates, regulatory compliance standards and similar metrics. Our language is clear in our professional circles, yet it is often confusing to business managers and executives. Their language is finance (or dollars, for short).

As management guru Peter Drucker said, “Economic performance is the first responsibility of business. . . without it, a business cannot discharge any other responsibilities, cannot be a good employer, a good citizen, a good neighbor.” In The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Finance and Accounting, Michael Muckian echoes Drucker: “It doesn’t matter what your professional responsibilities are, your management responsibilities contribute directly to your company’s profitability.”