title: Understanding the return on health, safety and environmental investments.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Traditionally, health safety and environmental (HS & E) investments have been viewed as expensive but necessary. HS & E professionals had a difficult task of providing data showing that these investments can also contribute to business success. An ORC task force developed a way for traditional financial analysis methods to be applied to HS & E investments and decisions.
  
  
  METHODS
  The result of the task force effort is the software called the ORC Return on Health, Safety and Environmental Investments (ROHSEI), a supporting tool to provide a comprehensive look at health, safety or environmental investment projects and their potential financial impacts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Since its development, more than 200 companies, government agencies, and educational institutions have been trained in the ROHSEI process and software.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HS & E professionals who are able to evaluate and communicate the business value of health, safety and environmental efforts will improve understanding of the impacts HS & E projects and contribute to better decision making by their organizations.
authors.affiliation: ORC Worldwide, Suite 810, 1800 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006, 202-293-2980, United States. Linhard@ORC-DC.com
authors.forename: Joanne B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Linhard
mesh_terms: D017046:Cost Savings; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D004782:Environmental Health; D005376:Financial Management / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D007449:Investments / Q000191:economics*; D016272:Occupational Health; D012984:Software