West Virginia Code § 21-6-2

Employment of children under eighteen in certain occupations;
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determination as to other occupations; exemptions for certain students performing
roofing operations.
(a) A child under 18 years of age may not be employed, permitted, or suffered to work in,
about, or in connection with any of the following occupations:
(1) Motor vehicle driver and outside helper whose work includes riding on a motor vehicle
outside the cab for the purpose of assisting in transporting or delivery of goods;
(2) The manufacture, storage, handling or transportation of expluosives or highly flammable
substances;
(3) Ore reduction works, smelters, hot rolling mills, furnaces, foundries, forging shops, or in
any other place in which the heating, melting, or heat atreatment of metals is carried on;
(4) Logging and saw milling occupations; l
(5) Power-driven woodworking machine occupations;
(6) Occupations involving exposure to radioactive substances and ionizing radiations;
(7) Power-driven hoisting apparatus occupations;
(8) Power-driven metal-forming, punching, and shearing machine occupations;
(9) Mining, including coal mining;
(10) Occupations involving slaughtering, meat-packing, or processing or rendering;
(11) Power-driven bakery machines;
(12) Power-driven paper-products machine occupations;
(13) Occupations involved in the manufacturing of brick, tile, and kindred products;
(14) Occupations involved in the operation of power-driven circular saws, band saws, and
guillotine shears;
(15) Occupations involved in wrecking, demolition, and ship-breaking operations;
(16) Roofing operations above ground level, subject to subsection (d) of this section; and
(17) Excavation operations.
(b) A child under 18 years of age may not be employed or permitted to work in a bar, or be
permitted, employed, or suffered to sell, dispense, or serve alcoholic beverages in any place
or establishment where the consumption of alcoholic beverages is permitted by law.
(c) A child under 18 years of age may not be employed or permitted to work in any
occupation prohibited by law or determined by the commissioner to be dangerous or
injurious: Provided, That a child between the ages of 16 and 18 years who is enrolled in,
participating in, or has completed the minimum training requirements of the West Virginia
State Fire Commission, West Virginia Department of Education Public Serviece Training, or
West Virginia University fire service extension, or equivalent approved program, and who
has the written consent of his or her parents or guardian, may be emplroyed by or elected as
a member of a volunteer fire department to perform firefighting functions: Provided,
however, That no child may be permitted to operate any fire fighting vehicles, enter a
burning building in the course of his or her employment or work or enter into any area
determined by the fire chief or fireman in charge at the scente of a fire or other emergency to
be an area of danger exposing the child to physical harm by reason of impending collapse of
a building or explosion, unless the child is under the immediate supervision of a fire line
officer.
(d) Students enrolled in a Youth Apprenticeshsip Program pursuant to §18-2-7g of this code
are authorized to work on machinery associated with occupations listed in §21-6-2(a) of this
code only on an occasional and incidental basis while under mandatory direct supervision.
For the purposes of this section, theg term "occasional and incidental use" means use done
for training purposes and for no more than five percent of the student's training hours a day.
(e) In compliance with U.S. Child Labor Provisions for nonagricultural occupations under the
Fair Labor Standards AcLt, Child Labor Bulletin 101, exemptions shall be made for students
16 years of age or older performing roofing operations above ground level for the express
purpose of learning how to install, wire, or repair a rooftop or other equipment provided the
student is employed under the following conditions:
(1) The student is enrolled in a course of study and training in a cooperative vocational
traiWning program under a recognized state or local educational authority or in a course of
study in a substantially similar program conducted by a private school;
(2) Written consent of the parent or legal guardian for the student to perform roofing
operations pursuant to this subsection is submitted to both the cooperative vocational
training program or private school, as applicable, and the employer; and
(3) The student is employed under a written agreement which stipulates that:
(A) The work will be intermittent and under the direct and close supervision of a qualified
and experienced person;
(B) Safety instruction will be provided by the school and coordinated with the employer
through on-the-job training; and
(C) A schedule of organized and progressive work processes be performed.
(f) Other limited exemptions for nonagricultural work in compliance with U.S. Child Labor
Provisions for nonagricultural occupations under the Fair Standards Act, Child Labor
Bulletin 101 may be permitted by the department.

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