Chapter I: Preface

In the final analysis, that organization is best that has the best quality of workers. No organization can continue to be of first quality whose workers are over-fatigued. Other things being equal, that country will be most happy and most successful whose workers have the least unnecessary fatigue.

Aside from the pleasure one may obtain from it, it is the duty of every one to eliminate the causes of unnecessary fatigue, and to promote the dissemination of knowledge of how to recover most quickly from unnecessary and necessary fatigue.

Fatigue study rests on scientific investigation that requires the special training of an expert, and laboratory methods and equipment; but there are elementary methods of studying and eliminating fatigue that are not only so simple that any one can understand and apply them, but that are also a definite stage in the preparation of the fatigue study expert.

It is the aim of this book to outline both these preliminary methods and the scientific methods of fatigue elimination and to put the available material for fatigue study into such shape that any one interested may make immediate, definite, and profitable use of it.

CONTENTS

PAGE

CHAPTER I

A DESCRIPTION AND GENERAL OUTLINE OF FATIGUE STUDY: WHAT MUST BE DONE

FATIGUE STUDY AND WASTE 3

WHAT FATIGUE IS 4

WHAT FATIGUE STUDY IS 7

THE FIELD OF THIS BOOK 7

THE RELATION OF FATIGUE STUDY TO MEASURED FUNCTIONAL MANAGEMENT 9

RELATION OF FATIGUE STUDY TO MOTION STUDY 11

THE CLASSES OF FATIGUE 13

THE PROBLEMS OF FATIGUE STUDY 14

THE METHODS OF FATIGUE STUDY 14

EMPHASIS IN FATIGUE STUDY 15

A WORK FOR EVERY ONE 16

CHAPTER II

THE FATIGUE SURVEY: WHAT IS TO BE DONE

WHAT A SURVEY IS 18

THE GENERAL SURVEY AND THE FATIGUE SURVEY 19

THE AIMS OF THE FATIGUE SURVEY 19

THE TIME AND PLACE OF MAKING THE SURVEY 20

THE QUALIFICATION OF THE SURVEY MAKER 22

WHAT TO LOOK FOR 25

VARIABLES THAT AFFECT FATIGUE 29

THE SURVEY RECORD SHEET 30

SURVEY PHOTOGRAPHS 31

MAKING THE SURVEY SERVICEABLE 32

CHAPTER III

PRELIMINARY PROVISIONS FOR REST FOR OVERCOMING FATIGUE: WHAT CAN BE
DONE NOW

PROVISION FOR REST 38

CHAIRS TO MAKE THE REST MOST EFFECTIVE 42

BETTERMENT WORK 47

RESULTS 49

CHAPTER IV

HOME READING BOX MOVEMENT: A PRACTICAL ILLUSTRATION

WHAT IT IS 54

THE BOX IN THE PLANT 55

THE PLANT AS A SOURCE OF SUPPLY 55

THE HOME ELEMENT 58

ROUTING THE MAGAZINES 61

THE PROBLEM OF MAINTENANCE 63

HOW THE CONDITIONS VARY 67

THE HOME READING BOX AND FATIGUE 69

THE BY-PRODUCTS OF THE HOME READING BOX MOVEMENT 70

HOW TO BEGIN 75

CHAPTER V

PRELIMINARY FATIGUE ELIMINATION: WHAT CAN BE DONE NOW

THE LIGHTING PROBLEM 77

THE HEATING, COOLING, AND VENTILATING PROBLEM 82

FIRE PROTECTION 84

SAFETY PROTECTION 85

THE WORK PLACE 88

THE WORK-BENCH OR TABLE 90

THE CHAIR OR OTHER FATIGUE-ELIMINATING DEVICE 91

PLACING THE MATERIAL WORKED ON 93

THE PLACING OF TOOLS AND DEVICES 94

THE CLOTHING OF THE WORKER 95

CHAPTER VI

THE FATIGUE MUSEUM: AN OBJECT LESSON

WHAT A FATIGUE MUSEUM IS 99

THE PARENT FATIGUE MUSEUM 100

WHAT THE FATIGUE MUSEUM CONTAINS 102

WHAT THE MUSEUM DOES NOT CONTAIN 102

TYPES OF CHAIRS AND THEIR USES 104

OTHER FATIGUE ELIMINATING DEVICES 108

HOW TO USE THE DEVICES 109

STARTING YOUR OWN FATIGUE MUSEUM 111

CHAPTER VII

FATIGUE MEASUREMENT: HOW TO ATTACK THE PROBLEM SCIENTIFICALLY

HISTORY OF FATIGUE MEASUREMENT 114

FATIGUE, A TEST OF EFFICIENT ACTIVITY 116

THE ACTIVITY 117

MOTION STUDY, MICROMOTION STUDY, THE CYCLEGRAPH, AND THE
CHRONOCYCLEGRAPH METHOD AS MEASURES OF ACTIVITY 118

TESTING THE WORK BY MOTIONS REQUIRED 123

TESTING WORKERS BY MOTION CAPABILITIES 124

THE USE OF ACTIVITY RECORDS AS DATA FOR ELIMINATING FATIGUE 124

THE TIME ELEMENT 125

THE STANDARDIZATION OF WORK AND REST 127

CHAPTER VIII

MAKING ADJUSTMENTS: HOW PRESENT PRACTICE IS DEVELOPED INTO STANDARD
PRACTICE

A CONCRETE EXAMPLE OF MAKING ADJUSTMENTS 132

FORMER METHOD OF ASSEMBLY 133

HOW THE NEW PRACTICE WAS DERIVED 134

THE TWO FACTORS TO BE CONSIDERED 134

OUTLINE OF THE CHANGES TO BE MADE 135

THE SOLUTION OF THE PROBLEM 135

FINAL ADJUSTMENT 139

CHANGES IN TYPE OF WORK DEMANDED 140

CHANGE IN MENTAL ATTITUDE 140

VALUE OF THIS EXAMPLE 140

CHAPTER IX

THE OUTCOME: HOW FAR HAVE WE ATTAINED OUR AIM?

THE TESTS OF GENERAL HEALTH 142

THE TEST OF PROLONGED ACTIVITY 143

THE TEST OF POSTURE 144

THE TEST OF BEHAVIOUR AND IMPLIED MENTAL ATTITUDE 146

THE TEST OF TRANSFERENCE OF SKILL 148

TEST OF “HAPPINESS MINUTES,” INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIAL 149

CHAPTER X

THE FUTURE: WHAT EACH ONE OF US CAN DO

THE WORK OF THE COLLEGES 153

THE WORK OF THE MANAGER 155

THE WORK OF THE WORKER 156

THE WORK OF THE PUBLIC 157

FATIGUE STUDY