Tops among your legal and ethical responsibilities to your staff is creating a workplace that is free of harassment and discrimination. But you may not be aware that your duty to protect your staff from such unlawful conduct extends beyond your own employees (see "Make Your OR a Bully-free Zone," May, page 34) to anyone who sets foot in your facility. Under Title VII, the principal federal anti-discrimination statute, you're responsible for protecting your employees from independent contractors - be they physicians, nurses, anesthesia providers and other staff - and even patients. Here's a case in point.