ABSTRACT
The call which work makes upon the human factor and the consequent efficiency of labour varies greatly according to the type of work. The call may be upon the muscles, the nerves, the senses or the brain according as the work is heavy, irregular, inspecting rather than doing, or to be adapted to circumstance rather than uniform. Some of these types of work can be measurably distinguished by weighing the materials handled, timing the recurrence and regularity of recurrence of operations and so on. Different physical environments—cold, heat, dampness, noise—also influence the efficiency of labour and can be measured for purposes of correlating conditions and results on output, accidents, lost time and turnover.
