ABSTRACT

Most Canadian jurisdictions have a "general duty provision" in their occupational health and safety legislation which requires employers to take all reasonable precautions to protect the health and safety of employees. This duty relates both to physical and to psychological health. No employer shall refuse to employ or refuse to continue to employ any person, or discriminate against any person with regard to employment or any term or condition of employment because of the race, religious beliefs, color, gender, gender identity, gender expression, physical disability, mental disability, age, ancestry, place of origin, marital status, source of income, family status, or sexual orientation of that person or of any other person. Rules governing health and safety in Alberta's workplaces fall under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, Regulation and Code, which covers workplace violence. The employer must develop a policy and procedures respecting potential workplace violence.