Internationally, there have been a number of Codes and Conventions that have been developed to ensure safer and more accommodating workplaces for workers. Key international initiatives include:

• International Labour Organization Convention 159: Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons), 1983
• International Labour Organization: Code of Practice on Managing Disability in the Workplace, 2002
• National Institute of Disability Management and Research: Code of Practice for Disability Management, 2nd Edition (for Canada), 2004
• International Labour Organization Convention 187: Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health, 2006
• United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2008

Other national and international research initiatives include:

• International Labour Organization: International Research Project on Job Retention and Return to Work Strategies for Disabled Workers, 1998
• Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development: Disability Programs in Need of Reform, 2003
• International Labour Organization: Safety in Numbers: Pointers for a global safety culture at work, 2003
• Parliament of Canada: Out of the Shadows at Last: Transforming Mental Health, Mental Illness and Addiction Services in Canada, 2006
• Canadian Human Rights Commission: Human Rights and the Return to Work: The State of the Issue, 2006