§21-6-5 Age certificate for employers; inquiry as to age; revocation of certificate; supervision by state superintendent of schools. - West Virginia Statutes

§21-6-5. Age certificate for employers; inquiry as to age; revocation of certificate; supervision by state superintendent of schools.

(a) Upon request of any employer who is desirous of employing a child who represents his or her age to be sixteen years or over, the officer charged with the issuance of work permits shall require of the child the proof of age specified in section three of this article, and, upon receipt thereof, if it be found that the child is actually sixteen years of age or over, shall issue to the employer a certificate showing the age and date and place of birth of the child. The age certificate, when filed in the office of the employer, must be accepted by an officer charged with the enforcement of this article as evidence of the age of the child in whose name it was issued.

(b) Any officer charged with the enforcement of this article may inquire into the true age of a child apparently under the age of sixteen years who is employed or permitted to work in any gainful occupation and for whom no work permit or age certificate is on file; and if the age of the child is found to be actually under sixteen years, the employment of the child shall be considered a violation of the provisions of this article.

(c) The state commissioner of labor may at any time revoke any age certificate if in his or her judgment it was improperly issued, and for this purpose he or she is authorized to investigate the true age of any child employed as in the case of work permits.

(d) The issuance of work permits and of age certificates shall be under the supervision of the state superintendent of schools.