216 ELEMENTARY BIOLOGY 



249. Standardizing work conditions. At the outbreak of the 

 Great War the sudden need for a rapid increase in the produc- 

 tion of all sorts of supplies and munitions led the managers of 

 industry to increase the number of hours of work and to "speed 

 up " the workers in factories. They also arranged to continue 

 work on Sundays and holidays. This was especially true in 

 England. After some months of this intensive activity it was 

 found that the high rate of production could not be maintained, 

 and that there was a great deal of ill health and of physical 

 breakdown among the workers. A commission was appointed to 

 inquire into the health of munition workers. Among the impor- 

 tant discoveries made by this commission were the following : 



1. The increase in the number of hours of work was bad 

 both for the health of the workers and for the effectiveness of 

 their work. 



2. The continuous work, day after day, without weekly rest 

 days, was bad for the health of the workers as well as for the 

 standards of production. 



As a result of this and of similar investigations many fac- 

 tories in Europe and in this country have established new 

 methods of determining the speed at which work shall be done. 

 They have divided the day's work into short shifts, or " tricks," 

 which permit fatigue products to be eliminated, instead of 

 forcing them to be accumulated in the bodies of the workers. 

 As a consequence, production has been increased, accidents 

 have been reduced, and the health of the workers has been 

 greatly improved. 



