CHAPTER VITHE FATIGUE MUSEUM: AN OBJECT LESSON
A fatigue museum is a collection of devices for and information concerning the elimination of fatigue, or for affording rest for overcoming fatigue. Its purpose is to serve as an object lesson as to how the fatigue problem may be approached practically. It aims primarily not to show beautiful exhibits, but to show devices which have actually done service. Many of these bear the marks of clumsy workmanship and hurried and cheap construction. This is an advantage rather than a disadvantage. It shows that fatigue elimination does not demand a large expenditure of money, nor depend upon having at the beck and call highly skilled mechanics to make the devices. Some of the exhibits have the excellent finish and the careful workmanship of the perfect product; but nochair or piece of equipment, photograph, or drawing is too rough or too unfinished to find a place in the museum, if it contains an idea that actually may be utilized to eliminate or overcome fatigue.
The parent fatigue museum is in Providence, Rhode Island, and was started by us some years ago with five devices,—three chairs and two devices for conveying material. It has grown very slowly, and even now comprises but a dozen devices and a few score of photographs. It is open every day of the year, free for inspection by visitors. Most of the devices submitted and exhibited have not been patented. The Fatigue Museum patents no devices, has no commercial interest at all in the devices exhibited, but it accepts fatigue eliminating exhibits of any kind from inventors or managers, and posts, along with the exhibit and the description of its special features, the name of the inventor and his address; this, that any one interested may get in touch with the maker of any devices already in existence. Realizing that few find it possible tovisit the museum, we have taken photographs of the various exhibits, and are glad to send these with descriptions to any who are interested, and who write to ask for them.
We find that the interest in the museum grows. Branch museums are springing up in different parts of the country. Every man at the second session of our Summer School of Measured Functional Management, which consisted of professors of psychology, engineering, and economics, volunteered to open a branch at his college. We are glad to have others who are interested, no matter what their field of activity, start branches also. All that is necessary to open a branch is to collect photographs, drawings, or actual examples of fatigue eliminating devices. Some of the college fatigue museums have consisted, until now, simply of such collections, though one college in particular has appropriated one hundred dollars, and is providing space for the exhibition of working models.
The parent museum is called Museum of Devices for Eliminating Unnecessary Fatigue, Number One, and the branch museums are numbered chronologically. There is no reason whysuch museums should not be started in every factory, as well as in every college, and we are delighted to co-operate with any one who desires to start such a museum.
The fatigue museum contains, at the present time, types of chairs, types of devices which hold working material in a convenient position, several assembly devices, several transportation devices, a work apron, and various drawings and photographs. It emphasizes, particularly, the chairs, as we feel that these are needed immediately and pressingly in all industries. A detailed description of the chairs will, perhaps, prove of most interest.
The museum contains, as yet, few exhibits, though we are expecting more in the near future. We are constantly impressed with the fact that it contains so few exhibits; this, in spite of the fact that we have sent out appeals since 1913, that have reached large numbers of people.
A short time ago we realized that the averagemanufacturer had never thought of his work in terms of fatigue. We could, therefore, expect no fatigue eliminating devices, as he either had none to offer, or as he did not realize what he had. Again and again, a manager will say, in effect, “I am much interested in your museum, and should like to send you something, but we have never given much thought to the subject of fatigue elimination, and therefore, unfortunately, we have nothing that we can send.” In many such cases, if we go through the plant, or the factory, or the store, we find fatigue eliminating devices, and immediately say, “There, that is just what we want.” Whereupon the manager replies, “Oh, that. Sure enough it does eliminate fatigue. I had never thought of it in that light. We have always had that.” Within the next few days we add a specimen to our collection.
We have, perhaps, not sufficiently emphasized the fact that eliminating fatigue means not only that we know the things that we lack, but also that we appreciate and fully utilize the things that we have. It is good practice to use what is on hand before laying in new devices. Thereis waiting space, then, in the museum for any sort of device, old or new, well-known or not known at all, that does, or will, or may eliminate or overcome fatigue. There is an especially warm welcome awaiting any such type of stool or chair. The older and more worn it is the better, if it is still in working condition. There is a chance to be a pioneer by exhibiting clothing that is artistic, inexpensive, and appropriate for doing any type of work with less fatigue.
We are fortunate in that, of the nine chairs exhibited, each represents quite a different type. This illustrates the large field for chairs.
ChairNo.1is designed for work to be done standing or sitting. This is the ideal fatigue eliminating chair, as it allows of the most scientific distribution of work and rest periods, and for the greatest variation in working periods. The work for which this chair was devised was the folding of handkerchiefs, work that had always been done sitting. This chair is the result of accurate measurement, and is of exactly thatheight that will permit the girl’s elbows to be at the same distance from the work table when she is seated as when she is standing. The back of the chair, like the backs of all chairs designed for eliminating fatigue while working, is designed for work and not for rest. The chair is provided with dome casters, which allow of its being pushed away, or drawn back into position with the least amount of time and effort possible. The worker on this chair has a foot-rest which is a part of the working table.
Fig 12 - Chair for sitting work
Fig.12This chair is of type one, devised for doing work that has always been considered sitting work, either standing or sitting. In this case an ordinary chair has been boosted so that a worker can sit at a work-bench made exactly the right height for standing work. The chair is provided with ball-bearing casters, so that it can be pushed out of the way or pulled into position with little effort. This device helped make it possible to divide each hour into work periods and rest periods; and at the same time into standing and sitting periods,—thus not only eliminating unnecessary fatigue, but providing an efficient means for recovery from necessary fatigue.
Fig 13 - Chair for standing work
Fig.13This chair is of type two, devised for doing work that has always been considered standing work, either standing or sitting. By its use, heavy filing can be done with greater ease and with the same speed and efficiency. The chair is inexpensive and easy to construct, and is of such a height as best suits the individual worker.
Fig 14 - Chair for standing work with footrest
Fig.14Another view of the chair as shown inFig.13. The projecting foot-rest on this chair enables a man to push the file as efficiently and more comfortably seated than standing.
ChairNo.2is devised in order that a kind of work which has always been done standing may be done sitting. The work is heavy filing done at a vise, and the chair is provided with a projecting foot-rest. The work-bench is of such a height that the man may work either standing or sitting. In actual practice the filer works half of the time sitting, and half of the time standing.
ChairNo.3is designed to eliminate vibration of floors that carry much high-speed machinery. An ordinary chair is provided with springs, that relieve the operator of one hundred per cent. of the vibration of the floor. This chair was designed for work at a machine, and the operator is provided with a foot-rest, which rests on feltto kill the vibration. Note also the verandas on two sides of the chair for foot-rests.
Thefourth typeof chair is also a shock absorbing chair, which is more complicated in its construction.
The fifth type of chair is designed for school work, and has a rest for the right arm that may be lowered or put in place.
Thesixth typeof chair is a modification of a chair already in use. A chair which was once, perhaps, fairly comfortable has become worn off from years of use. This is rectified by boring holes in four small blocks of wood, and fitting them to the legs of the chair, which brings the chair back to its originally desired height. A well-known Middle West manufacturer used iron piping for the same purpose as the four blocks of wood. This is, in some cases, easier to secure, although not so good for the shop flooring.
A seventh type of chair is an adjustable, telescopic stool, which the inventor claims is adaptable to both factory and office work. This is admirable in that it allows of the chair being adapted to some degree to its user at the expenditure of little time or money.
Fig 15 - A worker using the filer’s chair, shown in figures 13 and 14.
Fig.15A worker using the filer’s chair, shown in figures13and14.
Fig 16 - Chair of type 3
Fig.16This chair is of type three, designed to eliminate fatigue from surrounding conditions. An ordinary chair, which was fairly useful and comfortable, was provided with springs that relieved the operator of 100 per cent. of the vibration of the floor. It is to be noted that the device attached to the chair is extremely simple and inexpensive, while at the same time it solves a problem that has always been rated as most difficult.
The eighth type of chair is devised for rest periods. We have two examples of this. One is a small folding stool contributed by a local drygoods merchant, much interested in fatigue elimination, who, as a result of our fatigue eliminating campaign, has installed many of these stools in his large store. The other is a more complicated chair with adjustable seat and back. This is designed not only for causing least possible fatigue, but also in the interests of correct posture of the user.
Four of the chairs show particularly what can be done with little expenditure of time or money. Only the filing chair is a “new” chair, in the sense of the entire chair having been made especially with the idea of fatigue elimination. The other three chairs consist of chairs already in use, supplied with cheap adjustments, made of material already at hand. These may impress the reader as extremely inartistic. This they undoubtedly are, but these are chairs of the transitional period, made to better working conditions immediately, and to be used until standard methods are introduced, and new standard fatigue eliminating devices substituted. Itmust also be noted that three out of the four chairs are provided with what are practically footstools, although only one is shown in the picture, as only one is attached to the chair itself. The fourth chair allows of the feet being placed comfortably on the floor.
The other fatigue eliminating devices exhibited are useful more as suggestions than as object lessons. There are various types of packets upon which materials are so placed as to be most handy to the worker. These packets are filled by unskilled, that is to say, young, or inexperienced, learning or unskilled workers in such a way that the material can be removed from the packet by the high-priced man with the least amount of effort possible. Filling the assembly packet is an excellent training to the unskilled worker, as will be shown later. One of these packets is contributed by a local manufacturer of cotton cloth.
The other devices for holding materials in position consist of two devices for holding motion picture films in position so that they may be studied with the least amount of effort possible.
Fig 17 - Chair of type 4
Fig.17These chairs are of type four, devised to relieve fatigue caused by vibration. Besides the chairs, foot-rests were devised to hold the feet without any vibration from the floor; and, also, special treadles.
Fig 18 - Chair of type 4
Fig.18This chair is of type six, which modifies a device already in use, so that it will become a more efficient device for eliminating fatigue. The chair shown was, ordinarily, fairly comfortable, but the legs had become worn with time. It has, as shown, been raised to that height which is most comfortable for the worker. The work-bench, in this case, could not be raised so that the work could be done either standing or sitting. The problem was to have the sitting work done with the least unnecessary fatigue possible.
The transportation devices illustrate the principle of gravity, and also the principle of constant and careful adjustment of the transportation to the worker.
The devices of the fatigue museum are useful rather as suggesting devices than as object lessons. If your problem is to enable seated work to be done standing, raise your work-bench to the standing level, and put your work chair on stilts with casters, provided the work is not of a kind that requires a chair against which one can push. If your problem is to enable work that has been done standing to be done sitting, construct a chair that will bring the worker to the desired height. If your problem is to reduce vibration, put springs under the four legs of your chair. If your problem is simply to make sitting work more comfortable, be sure that the chair is of the proper height; that the seat slopes right and has a rounded front edge; and that, if it has a back, it is one that does not interfere with work. If the chair is too high, saw off the legs; if too low, add wooden blocks. Chairs of this type, as actuallyused by the workers, will usually offer suggestions as to what needs to be done.
In many factories one is astounded to find books, cardboard, cloth, blocks of wood, almost anything heaped in the seat of a chair to make the chair higher. Wherever workers are seated at a work-bench that is not adjustable, look for trouble with the chairs; that is, a tall girl crouching in a kindergarten chair fit only for a child or a dwarf, a short girl balanced on a high stool at a high table, without a proper place to rest the feet. No matter what the height of the table or the chairs, if many workers are seated at the same table, and the chairs are not adjustable, there is field for study. If workers vary much as to height, they should be sorted for height, and sent to tables with adjustable height legs; or, if workers cannot be sorted, the short ones should be provided with platforms to bring their elbows to the right height to fit the table, which should be adjusted to fit the tall workers. If your problem is to make standing work more comfortable, and a chair seems impracticable with the methods used, perhaps a chair or some kind of seat could be provided for rest periods.
We advise every employer to set aside a small space and assemble at least one example of each type of fatigue eliminating device actually in use, or that may suggest a device to be used. In the absence of a regular motion study man assigned for the purpose, the ideal state of affairs would be to have every member of the management walk through the factory once and look at present fatigue conditions in order to see what improvements could be made. This, however, is almost too Utopian to hope for.
It is the exception where the worker in any large plant knows intimately any part of the plant except the few little work places where he has toiled. A girl who had worked for years in a cotton mill, and who finally went into household work, begged to be taken on a visit of inspection to the factory. “But,” said the woman who was to make the inspection, “I thought you worked there. Surely, you must know about the factory.” “No, indeed,” said the girl, “I never went anywhere except to get into the room where the machine was that I tended.” Even in oneexcellently managed plant where welfare, or betterment, is a prime consideration, a girl in the office department had never once been out into the plant itself. There is an enormous amount of educational work, that is also fatigue eliminating work, to be done in putting each member of the organization in touch with the entire working plant. There is not time or space, however, for an extended discussion of this problem here.
Therefore, until the workers can be taken to see the fatigue eliminating devices in actual operation, collect such devices, or photographs of them, and put them all in one place. Start a little fatigue museum of your own, even if it is limited to a properly labelled scrap-book of pictures always ready for inspection, and observe the effect upon management, workers, and invention in general. This effect will be reflected in the suggestion box, which in itself provides a unit of measurement of the progress of the fatigue eliminating campaign. When fatigue elimination has progressed to this stage, when actual devices are being installed, when the entire organization has come, as it will, to think in terms of fatigue elimination, the problem may be attackedscientifically. This, the scientific elimination of unnecessary fatigue, is the subject for discussion in the next chapters.
A fatigue museum is a collection of devices for eliminating or overcoming fatigue. The parent museum in Providence aims to exhibit such devices as object lessons, and to encourage the spread of fatigue study by sending photographs with descriptions to all who are interested enough to start museums or even a scrap-book for pictures of devices for the elimination of unnecessary fatigue in the industries. Our fatigue museum specializes on chairs, but welcomes devices of any kind. It advocates the establishment of similar museums in colleges, or other institutions, and also in industrial plants and work places of all kinds.