The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between paced (conveyer system) and unpaced work under various conditions. A comparison has been made among their physiological functions and changes in the quantity or in the quality of performance for operators. The subjects were eight healthy male students. They were engaged in the stamping tasks as a simple repetitive hand work. In the unpaced work, operators worked freely for 30min., 120min., and 150min. at their own pace. In the paced work, they worked for 120min. under two conditions in velocity that adopted the mean cycle time of the unpaced conditions and that was one point five times of the mean cycle time in the unpaced 120min. work.
The results obtained were as follows;
1) The TAF value in 150min. and 120min. tasks under the unpaced work lowered significantly. When the conveyer speed is equal to one point five times of the mean cycle time in the unpaced work, TAP showed the significant lowering.
2) Complaints of subjective symptoms on conveyer systems were apt to increase in comparison with those in the unpaced work conditions.
3) Unsatisfactory results of stamped papers were in the greatest quantity in 150min. task under unpaced work, but when the conveyer speed was kept to one point five times of the mean cycle time in the unpaced work, they were the smallest quantity.
4) When a continuous working hour was not instructed to the operators under the unpaced work, the operation efficiency decreased exponentially in parallel with the increase of working hours.
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