West Virginia Code 21-5F-1 – Legislative findings and purpose
The Legislature finds and declares that:
Terms Used In West Virginia Code 21-5F-1
- Workplace: means a place where public employees are assigned to work but shall not include any place where public employees are assigned to work that is inspected and regulated in accordance with federal occupational safety and health standards or mine safety and health administration standards, or facilities under the authority of the department of corrections, the department of health, or the Legislature. See West Virginia Code 21-3A-2
(1) It is essential that qualified registered nurses and other licensed health care workers providing direct patient care be
available to meet the needs of patients;
(2) Quality patient care is jeopardized by nurses that work unnecessarily long hours in hospitals;
(3) Health care workers, especially nurses, are leaving their profession because of workplace stresses, long work hours and depreciation of their essential role in the delivery of quality, direct patient care;
(4) It is necessary to safeguard the efficiency, health and general well-being of health care workers in hospitals, as well as the health and general well-being of the persons who use their services;
(5) It is further necessary that health care workers be aware of their rights, duties and remedies with regard to hours worked
and patient safety; and
(6) Hospitals should provide adequate safe nursing staffing without the use of mandatory overtime.