The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1920-05-22
PROMOTING PLANT EFFICIENCY
Experts Say Eight-Hour Day Is More
Efficient Than Ten-Hour Day.

The eight-hour day is not only more
efficient than the l0-hour day in indus
trial plants, but is more economical.
This is the conclusion reached by
experts of the United States public
health service after a careful detailed
study of conditions and production in
standard factories of both classes,
which has been under way since 1917.
The plants surveyed were selected
after great deal of care. Each Is
modern factory, employing such a large
number Of workers as to make any
conclusions reached apply to industry
in general. The other consideration was
that the machinery, manufactured
product. and processes in the l0-hour
plant should be sufficiently similar to
the eight hour plant to make a fair
comparison.
The advantages are all in favor OF
eight-hour days, or shifts, as compared
with the l0.hour day, and relate TO
maintenance of output, TO lost time
and TO industrial accidents.
Here are the main conclusions sum
married;
Maintenance Of output The out
standing feature Of the eight hour day
is steady maintenance of output. The
outstanding feature of the l0-hour sys-
tenn is the decline of output.
Lost time Under the eight hour sys-
tenn work with almost full power be
gins and ends approximately on sched-
ule. and lost time il reduced TO mini
mum. Under the l0-hour system work
ceases regularly before the end Of the
spell and lost time is frequent.
Stereotyped output: Under the 10
hour system the laborers seem to arti-
fieially restrict their efforts and to
keep pace with the less efficient work
ers Under the eight hour day the out
put varies more nearly according to
the individual capacity of the laborer.
That is, each is more likely to do his
utmost rather than an average days
work." regulated by a low standard.
Industrial accidents: This phase of
the study is of particular interest.
Ordinarily accidents may be expected
to vary directly with speed OF produc
ton, owing TO increased exposure 10
risk. But when fatigue is taken into
consideration there is marked modi
iicati0n Of this rule. When there is
reduction of output due TO fatigue,
there is rise in the number of acct
dents; that is, in the last hours of the
10 or l2hou day, in spite OF EN-
pl0yes slowing up in work, more acct
dents occur. If for any reason pro-
duction is speeded up in the last hours,
when the laborers are fatigued. the
rise in the number of accidents rises
so rapidly as to leave no room to
doubt that the higher accident risk
accompanies the decline in working ca
pacity of the employe.
These conclusions are based on so
careful study by officers Of the I. 5.
public health service and on so large
a number of employees that they may
undoubtedly be applied by industrial
engineers generally.
The full report is contained in pub
lie health bulletin No 100, which IS
the first OF series to be published by
the 4. $. public health service on the
problems of industrial working capaci-
ty In the 200 pages making up the
present report is presented wealth of
information which no industrial engi-
neer can afford TO neglect. Certainly if
American industry is to maintain its
present leadership it will only be as the
result of the application Of sound
principles.