Work Study

WORK STUDY Work study is simply the study of work. It is the analysis of work dividing it into smaller parts followed by rearrangement of these parts to give the same effectiveness at lesser cost. It examines both the method and duration of the work involved in a process.

Nature and Object of Work-study 1. Work study/Time and motion study is primarily concerned with discovering the best ways of doing jobs and with establishing stds based upon such methods. 2. Work study is to minimize costs either by designing work for higher productivity or by improving productivity in existing work through improvements in current methods and by reducing inefficient or waste of time.

Objectives of Work-Study 1. To recommend and implement the desired improvements in work methods by establishing the most economical way of doing work. 2. Investigation and analysis of existing situation. 3. Examination of weakness if any in the prod’n process. 4. Most effective use of the existing or proposed plant. 5. Efficient use of human efforts. 6. Ensure proper performance of those employed in the prod’n process. 7. Measurement of work values. 8. To initiate and maintain incentive bonus schemes. 9. Setting stds for labor cost ctrl documentation. 10.To standardize the method, material and equipment used in the prod’n process

Importance of work-study 1. It is a mean of raising productivity of a factor by reorganization of the work involving little or no capital expenditure on plant and equipment. 2. It is systematic study where no factor of prod’n is overlooked. 3. It is most accurate method of determining the stds of performance on which effective planning and ctrl depends. 4. It results in savings and efficient use of resources by increasing o/p reducing scrap. 5. Results in improved safety. 6. Reduction in training time. 7. It is a tool, which can be, applied everywhere.

Components of work study 1. 2. 3. 4.

Method Study Work measurement. Ergonomics. Job evaluation: Functional/ Non functional

Method study is the systematic Recording, Critical analysis, development and implementation/installation of new methods to perform job to reduce costs etc. with regard to existing/proposed jobs. It is some sort of MOTION STUDY.

Work measurement is TIME STUDY, which determines the amt. of time reqd. to perform a job/task by a worker following a particular/prescribed method.

Ergonomics is the study of relationship b/w worker and his working environment. It includes a mix of working environment, working place and human physiological considerations.

Method Study The function of the method analyst is to study the way in which something is being done with a view to develop a procedure which when adopted would increase the level of performance.

Need of Method Study 1. Bottlenecks in the system resulting in long delivery time or unbalanced workflow. 2. Idle plant labor shows under utilization of resources . 3. Poor moral of workers may affect the quality of the product. Due to this there may be high absentism. 4. Inconsistent earnings also advocate for the review of prod’n method.

Techniques of Methods Study

1. Selection of job to be studied:-Method study and its implementation will cost money. Thus the job shd. Be selected only when there are some valid reasons for method study. Maximum cost benefit is the normal objective. 2. Collection, Recording and presentation of necessary inf. eg. Record’g the movement of equipment or material, Record’g the work done by an operator and movements of operators with respect to machines and other operations

3. Analysis of the existing method The inf. Provided by charts and graphs is critically examined and screened by asking some searching questions. Like Purpose:- What is to be done, why it is to done, what else cud be done Place :- Where to be done, where else cud be done, where shd it be done etc. These questions can help in the development of new method by getting the answers for above said questions.

Develop a new method The device specially designed for improving work method is known as the process improvement formula. The four steps in the procedure are ELIMINATE,COMBINE, SEQUENCE (i.e. scope of changes in the sequence of activities) and SIMPLIFY

Charts for Method Study  Process Charts :- It represents diagrammatically the sequence/order of various operations evolved in a prod’n process from start to finish. Process charts are not drawn to any scale and use various symbols to represent some movements or activities.  The symbols are joined by lines to represent the sequence of activities. These are based on the concept that there is alwaz some order in which the various operations shd. Occur b/w the input stage to finished product.

Work Measurement Application of techniques designed to establish the time for a qualified worker (physically and mentally fit to undertake a job for which he possesses necessary skill and knowledge) to carry out a specified job at a defined level of performance is known as work measurement

It is some sort of time study, which attempts to determine the amt of time required to perform a task by an operator following a prescribed method. Time study is a work measurement technique for recording the times and rates of working for the elements of a specified job carried out under specific conditions and for analyzing the data so as to obtain the time necessary for carrying out the job at a defined level of performance

Steps in work measurement procedure 1.

Selection:- Time study follows a previous method study and so there is no selection problem.

2.

Obtain all necessary information:- The conditions reqd to perform some wok shd be recorded. This info shd be in terms of worker, machines, material, layout, quality, standard etc.

3. Divide the job into elements

4. Time the element:- Stopwatch is the most conventional mean for timing the elements. Time recording needs considerable skill, attention, alertness etc. To watch the worker, manipulate the watch and record the time.

5. The number of the cycles to be timed:- One must record sufficient readings to be reasonably confident of an accurate result.

6. Rating the operator:7. Objective Rating:- Here emphasis is laid on speed and difficulty experienced in performing a job. The operator is first rated according to speed of his movement irrespective of the nature of job. Then adjustment is made for the type of job taking into consideration

8. Allowance Standard times for the elements or job are necessary to provide allowances for compensating fatigue, personal needs, contingencies etc. like relaxation allowance, tool and machinery allowance, excessive work allowance

Objectives of work measurement 1. Target time for each job can be estimated scientifically. With this estimate realistic and manpower requirements can be prepared. 2. Useful incentive schemes can be generated by linking these with target times. 3. Variance b/w actual time and target time can lead to apply better ctrl on the operations. 4. It can lead to proper balancing of the work distribution. 5. Forecasts for future manpower and related costs can be made.