Motion Study
A Method for Increasing the Efficiency of the Workman

INTRODUCTION xvii “accidental” method, as contrasted with the scientific one developed by Mr. Gilbreth. An example of this latter kind of motion study is familiar to every man, woman, or child who lives in even a moder- ate-sized city. In the city fire departments much thought has been expended on the problem of enabling the firemen to start out to a fire in the shortest possible time after the alarm has been received. At first the horses stood in their stalls with their harness on them. The hitching of the horses required the fastening of several buckles. Some one then invented the drop harness, now universally used, and the number of motions in hitching a horse was reduced to three, — snapping the collar round his neck, and the fastening of the two reins to his bridle by bit snaps. Later the horses were moved from the rear of the house to a point alongside the engine, so that they had only to travel a matter of a few feet to be in position under the harness. Some one else then invented a device which released the horses from their stalls automatically with the sounding of the alarm on the fire-house gong, effecting a further saving in time and motion. Instead of having the firemen descend stairs from their sleeping quarters, the sliding pole was thought of, which eliminated a great number of individual motions and saved many seconds. And so on, as one device after another was perfected which saved motions, and thereby time, it was adopted, until now the “motion efficiency” in a fire house is one hundred per cent. It is useless to improve it further, because it has reached a