The chair had a plain flat unshaped wooden seat with a solid flat high back rest nailed directly to the seat at a sharp right angle. This chair was fastened in position by a swing bracket device which brought the seat close to the work bench. The operator leaning forward received support from the back of the chair for the first five inches at the lower end of the spine. This position was fair; but when the women leaned back, the straight solid back was, of course, very uncomfortable.

FOOT REST

Where the chair is of such a height that the operator cannot rest his feet comfortably on the floor, a foot rest should be provided. A foot rest should be fastened to the floor or work bench and not to the chair. A narrow foot rest such as a lead pipe, or the rung of a chair is not

Fig. 23.

A foot rest which can be adjusted at an height to suit the individual worker, (see also Fig. 33-a). made of cast iron and the foot rest itself is made of wood. attached to the metal ends by the use of wood screws and a edge of the swinging hanger.

angle and also at a The end fittings are This wooden part is flange on the bottom

comfortable and the operator usually catches his heel over such a foot rest, and does not get any real support from it. A broad foot rest is desirable.

The California Industrial Welfare Commission suggests for use at cutting tables in canneries a broad foot rest adjustable in height and tilted toward the front. (See Fig. 27.)

A swinging foot rest attached to the under side of the bench, adjustable in height and presenting a broad flat surface has been used with success at bench work. (See Fig. 24.)

In Figs. 25-a and 25-b the ordinary foot rest cannot be used. In Fig. 25-b, however, the pedal itself serves as a foot rest.

BENCH

With most work places the bench height is stationary and it is necessary to adapt the height of the chair and foot rest to suit the individual worker. The first thing to do is to determine whether the worker

The operation of this foot pedal is very restful. There is no up and down movement as the whole pedal swings backward and forward with a slight push of the foot. The backward and forward movement of the pedal is approximately 6 inches; the pedal is based on a table or machine approximately 30 inches from the floor. The main pivot point of the pedal is approximately 3 inches above the chair upon which the operator sits and this is the base measurement from which all other measurements are obtained.

The height of the pedal from the floor is adjustable by raising it to a higher hole in the two parallel arms which support it. A cleat of wood running across the pedal serves to brace the heel so that no effort is required to keep the foot on the pedal. The tilt of the front end of the pedal is adjustable, so that the angle can be suited to the operator. The picture shows the left pedal tilted up and the right pedal flat.

This foot pedal may be applied to any machine or table where a vertical, horizontal or angular movement is required. Any desired movement may be obtained from 1 inch to 8 inches in any direction. The movement desired to perform an operation is obtained by a suitable foot rest horizontal to floor, a pair of parallel arms at right angles to floor and such levers or arms as may be best to give desired results.

The picture shows a stem machine used in making electric light bulbs. Two separate pedal operations are required. and the two pedals shown can be operated independently of each other. In machines requiring only one pedal operation, one pedal is used and is placed in the center so that the operator can work it with first one foot and then with the other.

can sit in good working position with her knees and feet under the bench. If the bench is too low for this it must be raised. If a brace or a bar interferes it must be removed. The thickness of the bench top is an important matter. If the bench top is more than 5 inches thick because of an overhanging support or brace it is almost impossible for an operator to work effectively while seated. To fit the knees between the seat and the under side of the bench the operator is forced to sit so low that she cannot work properly; to sit high enough for work, the operator is forced to sit with her knees jammed against the bench and is too far away from the bench to work properly. (See fig. 47.)

A good height for a sitting-standing bench would vary according to the amount of strength needed in the operation. The height of sittingstanding benches shown in this report varies from 33 inches to 37 inches. The bench top should be not more than 2 inches thick and from 6 inches to 10 inches should be left between the under side of the bench and the seat for knee space. A foot rest should be attached to the floor or to the bench and the chair should be arranged so that the operator can push it to one side when she stands at work.

HANDLING SUPPLIES

To plan carefully arrangements for supplies and for finished goods is one of the manager's most important tasks in eliminating waste. Spooner cites one instance where by constructing "carefully arranged and well-thought-out frames and tables," an operator was able to assemble a machine in 91⁄2 minutes, whereas it had formerly taken 371⁄2 minutes.

Excessive reach for supplies or to stack finished goods is a great scurce of waste energy and should be avoided, especially where heavy lifting is required. What weight can be lifted by a woman without injury to herself depends on her individual strength, the place from which the object is lifted, whether from floor level or waist level, the way in which it is lifted and number of times per hour the lifting must be repeated. The bad features of lifting can usually be avoided by a rearrangement of supplies or by installation of conveyors.

The following are examples of carefully studied arrangements for handling work and supplies.

"The individual work place for folding handkerchiefs" (fig. 26 shows a similar work place for "ribboning" handkerchiefs) "is just the right size, height and slope of top, permitting the operator to work equally well, either sitting or standing and thus to vary the monotony, and there are two standard trucks, one on the left of the operator containing the handkerchiefs flat, in units of convenient size on the board as they come from the ironing machine, and one on the right to receive the handkerchiefs after being folded. I would call your attention to the special open-side container in the truck for finished work, drawn out, and resting

on a shelf attached to the workplace at just the right height to receive the folded handkerchiefs and with the hinged end let down so as not to be in the way of the operator's arm. The weight of the units both before and after folding is designed to be such as to be easily handled by the operator and to afford a change from the monotony and fatigue of folding at sufficiently frequent intervals; having folded

RIBBONING HANDKERCHIEFS

The chair is raised to standing height and rests on springs to prevent vibration.

the handkerchiefs contained on a board and having filled a container, the operator places the container in one of the truck's compartments, puts an empty one in its place on the shelf and takes another unit of flat handkerchiefs from the truck on the left, placing it in position for folding. Regular rest periods are however also provided. The trucks are moved to and from the work place by move men' in accordance with orders from the Planning Department." i

1 Hathaway, H. K. Standards, New York. Taylor Society, 1919.