Fatigue study : $b the elimination of humanity's greatest unnecessary waste. A first step in motion studyGilbreth, Lillian Moller
Science
Fatigue study : $b the elimination of humanity's greatest unnecessary waste. A first step in motion study
Gilbreth, Lillian Moller
Fatigue; Industrial efficiency; Motion study
Each hour was divided into ten periods. The work was placed on a
work table of the proper height. The handkerchiefs already folded,
those being folded, and those to be folded were arranged in the most
convenient and efficient manner. All variables of the work had been
studied, and the results of the study standardized. The first four
periods, that is, the first twenty-four minutes, the girl remained
seated. She worked five minutes and rested one; again worked five
minutes and rested one. That is to say, she had four minutes’ rest out
of the twenty-four, and spent this rest seated so that she might lose
no time in getting back to the work. The next two periods, that is for
twelve minutes, the girl was standing. Again she worked five minutes
and rested one minute, and for the second time worked five minutes and
rested one minute. That is, she rested two out of the twelve minutes
in the same position in which she worked. The third group, a space
of eighteen minutes, she spent either sitting or standing, as she
pleased. Here also she worked five minutes, rested one minute; worked
five minutes, rested one minute; worked five minutes, and rested one
minute in the position, either standing or sitting, which she herself
had chosen. The last period, which consisted also of six minutes, was
spent by the girl walking about and talking, or amusing herself as
she otherwise chose. With this might be combined the last rest minute
or period No. 9, which thus gave her seven consecutive minutes for
unrestricted rest activity.
This was the schedule for all hours of the day except the hour before
noon and the hour before closing time at night. In these hours the
first nine periods resembled the first nine periods of the other hours;
but the tenth period was spent in work, as a long rest period was to
follow.
At the end of the day’s work under these conditions the girls
accomplished more than three times the amount of their previous best
work, with a greater amount of interest and with no more fatigue. It
may be stated here that the primary aim in this investigation was
not to eliminate fatigue, but to increase the wages of the girls by
raising the output. The operators had not seemed overfatigued at the
start. They maintained that they were less tired at the close of the
day when using the new method, and certainly the amount of fatigue
caused by producing an amount of output such as was made under the old
method was reduced to an enormous extent. With further practice these
preliminary results will be further improved.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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