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1. INTRODUCTION

Rating is subjective and therefore is the most controversial aspect of Work Measurement.
There are various methods of assessing operator performance, each of which have their good
and bad points, but the system of Rating is the one which has been adopted almost
universally.

2. RATING STANDARDS

2.1 Workers do not all work with the same degree of application. Neither does a single
worker work from morning to night, day in and day out with the same degree of
intensity. There are many contributory causes of these variations, but no matter what
they are, the Work Study Officer must be able to deal with the effect. This may be
caused by:-

2.1.1 A change from the established and habitual method.

2.1.2 A change in the speed of working.

2.1.3 Changes to machinery, equipment, materials or conditions.

Variations in the speed of working require adjustment to a standard by the technique

of Rating. The relevant definitions which apply to the technique of Rating are given
below.

2.2 DEFINITIONS

2.2.1. RATING

The numerical value or symbol used to denote a rate of working.

BS 3138 1992 (22058)

2.2.2 TO RATE

To assess the workers rate of working relative to the observer's concept of the
rate corresponding to standard rating. The observer may take into account,
separately or in combination, one or more factors necessary to the carrying
out of the task. e.g. speed of movement, effort, dexterity, consistency.
BS 3138 1992 (22056)

2.2.3 BRITISH STANDARD RATING SCALE

A linear scale on which 100 corresponds to standard rating.

BS 3138 1992(22010)

2.2.4 STANDARD RATING

The average rate at which qualified workers will work, provided that they
adhere to the specified method and are motivated, suited and accustomed to
the task. BS 3138 1992 (22074)

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2.3 CONCEPT OF 100 RATING

It is considered that the concept of 100 Rating can be represented in a number of

ways. Two examples follow:

2.3.1 European or North American male of average stature walking unladen on level
ground under good walking conditions at a speed of 4 miles per hour.

2.3.2 Dealing a pack of 52 cards into 4 equal piles in 0.375 minutes using the
following standard method. A person seated at a table holds a pack of 52
cards in his left hand, and the top card is positioned with the thumb and index
finger of the left hand. The right hand grasps the positioned card, carries and
tosses it onto the table. The 4 piles of cards are arranged on the four corners
of a one foot square. The only requirement is that the cards shall all be face
down and that each of the 4 piles shall be separate from the others.

3. COMPARING THE OBSERVED RATING WITH THE STANDARD RATING

3.1 The question most often asked with regard to rating is, "How is it possible to compare
the observed rate of working with the theoretical standard?". The answer is by long
practice.

3.2 To revert to the Rating exercise on walking; most people if asked would be able to
judge the rate at which a man is walking. They would start classifying rates of walking
as slow, average or fast. With a little practice they would rate to, 3 miles an hour, 4
miles an hour, 5 miles an hour. If, however, a reasonably intelligent person were to
spend all his time watching men walking at different speeds, it would be possible to
accurately judge speeds of 2.4 miles per hour, or 3.8 miles per hour. In order to
achieve such accuracy, however, he would need to have in his mind the particular
rate with which to compare those speeds which he sees.

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3.3 It therefore follows that if 4 MPH is accepted as Standard Rating 100 BS, and
accurate judgement of speed is possible, an overall scale can be given for each
variation in speed. Rating on the British Standard Rating Scale is carried out in 5
POINT blocks. Therefore if 4 MPH is 100 BS Rating, 3 MPH can be classified as 75
BS and 5 MPH as 125 BS. In this manner a scale of rating to cover speed of
movement only (under the conditions shown in para 2.3.I.) can be produced as shown
below:-
6 MPH 150 BS
5.8 MPH 145 BS
5.6 MPH 140 BS
5.4 MPH 135 BS
5.2 MPH 130 BS
5 MPH 125 BS
4.8 MPH 120 BS
4.6 MPH 115 BS
4.4 MPH 110 BS
4.2 MPH 105 BS
4 MPH 100 BS
3.8 MPH 95 BS
3.6 MPH 90 BS
3.4 MPH 85 BS
3.2 MPH 80 BS
3 MPH 75 BS
2.8 MPH 70 BS
2.6 MPH 65 BS
2.4 MPH 60 BS
2.2 MPH 55 BS
2 MPH 50 BS

3.4 It should be noted that theoretically the limits of this scale are ZERO BS for NO
ACTIVITY ranging to infinity. Practically however, to walk slower than 2 MPH or faster
than 6 MPH requires very great skill and effort and is beyond the capability of most
people.

3.5 It is further very important to note that the above scale relates ONLY to the task as
described in para 2.3.1 and includes only speed of movement. If the operator is
carrying a box, then additional "effort" is required and the rating given for each speed
will change. If the operator is also required to negotiate his way through a number of
obstacles (e.g. A warehouse man moving through an area where a number of stacked
items are awaiting despatch) then "Dexterity" will also be involved and again the rate
of work will change.

4. WHAT IS RATED?

The effective speed of working is rated.

This is not just the speed of movement, because an unskilled worker may move extremely
fast and yet take longer to complete an operation than a skilled worker who appears to be
working quite slowly. The unskilled worker puts in a lot of unnecessary movement which the
experienced person has long since eliminated. Judgement of effective speed can only be
acquired through experience of, and knowledge of the operations being observed.

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5. SCALES OF RATING

Rating is translated into numerical terms and can then be used as a factor to calculate the
basic time for the completing of the specified task. There are several scales of Rating as
follows:-

5.1 BSI 0 / 100 SCALE

This is the scale suggested by the British Standards Institution where the Standard
Rating is 100. It is now the most widely used scale in Great Britain.

5.2 75 / 100 SCALE

This is an alternative scale used when the Normal Rating (non-incentive performance)
is 75, and the Standard Rating is rated at 100.

The scale dimension on the 751 / 100 scale is exactly the same as that of the BS
Rating Scale. An additional parameter of 75 for the Normal Performance level being
the only difference.

5.3 60 / 80 SCALE

This used to be the most widely used scale in Great Britain, where the Normal Rating
(non-incentive performance) is rated at 60 points and the Standard Rating is 80
points. For this reason it is known as the Points Scale.

In recent years it has largely been replaced by the BS Rating Scale.

5.4 100 / 133 SCALE

This is the most widely used scale in the United States of America, where the Normal
Rating (non-incentive performance) is rated at 100 and the Standard Rating is 133.

A few companies in the U.K., with American parent companies do use this scale. It is
not, however, widely used.

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5.5 COMPARISONS OF SCALES

COMPARABLE
SCALES
WALKING SPEED
DESCRIPTION
0 – 100
60 - 80 75 - 100 100 - 133 (MP / H) (KM / PH)
STANDARD
0 0 0 0 No Activity
Very slow: clumsy, fumbling
40 50 67 50 movements: operative appears half 2 3.2
asleep, with no interest In the job.
Steady, deliberate, unhurried
performance, as of a worker not on
piecework but under proper supervision:
60 75 100 75 3 4.8
looks slow, but time is not being
intentionally wasted while under
observation.
Brisk, business-like performance, as of
an average qualified worker on
80 100 133 100 (SR) piecework: necessary standard of 4 6.4
quality and accuracy achieved with
confidence.
Very fast: operative exhibits a high
degree of assurance, dexterity and co-
100 125 167 125 5 8.0
ordination of movement, well above that
of an average trained worker.
Exceptionally fast: requires intense
effort and concentration, and is unlikely
100 150 200 150 to be kept up for long periods: a 6 9.6
"virtuoso" performance achieved only
by a few outstanding workers.

6. HOW THE RATING FACTOR IS USED

A rating of 100 represents the Standard Rating on the BSI 0 / 100 Scale. If the observer
decides that the operation he is observing is being performed less effectively than his idea of
"STANDARD RATING" he will use a factor of less than 100 say 80 or 90, or whatever he
considers represents a proper assessment. If, on the other hand he decides it is being done
more effectively, he gives a rating assessment of 105, 110, 115 etc. With proper training and
continual practice a competent observer can assess the effort of an operator on a 5 point
basis from about 70 Rating to up to 130 Rating. Outside these values the accuracy of Rating
diminishes, but most qualified operators' ratings fall within this range.

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7. FACTORS AFFECTING RATING
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7.1 It may be that, because of factors either outside or within the worker's control, it may
take more or less time to perform an element on one occasion than another, even
though the speed of working and effort remain constant. The factors outside the
operators control include:

7.1.1 Variations in quality or specification of the stationery or materials used, even

though they are within the prescribed tolerance limits.

7.1.2 Changes in the operating efficiency of equipment within its useful life.

7.1.3 Minor changes in methods or conditions of operation.

7.1.4 Variations in the mental attention necessary for the performance of certain of
the elements of work.

7.1.5 Changes in climatic or other surrounding conditions such as lighting,

temperature, humidity, etc.

These can generally be accounted for by taking a sufficient number of studies

to ensure that a representative sample of times is obtained.

7.2 Factors affecting Rating within the control of the worker include the following:

7.2.1 The physical or mental effort demanded by the work. Generally, a demand for
increased physical or mental effort will lead to a slower speed.

7.2.2 The care required on the part of the operator. A need for increased care in
carrying out an element of work will also reduce speed.

7.3 Because various factors will influence a worker's motion patterns and effective speed
in different ways, the Work Study Officer must be familiar with the motion patterns
followed by an average worker competent and accustomed to the work, and with the
ways in which those patterns may change to meet a varied range of conditions.

Rating is very much easier if a good Method Study has been made first in which the
activities calling for special skill or effort have been reduced to the minimum. The
more the method has been simplified, the less the element of skill to be assessed and
the more Rating becomes a matter simply of judging speed. By careful training of
staff and by cross-checking of assessments, consistency of Rating between observers
can be assured to a high degree.

8. RATING THE JOB

8.1 Each element is rated separately whilst the element is in progress and noted before
the time is taken, otherwise there is a very great risk that previous times and ratings
for the same element will influence the assessment. For this reason the Rating
column on the Time Study Sheet is placed to the left or above the "Watch Reading" or
"Observed Time" column. It is, perhaps, a further advantage of the continuous
method of timing that the element time does not immediately appear as a separate
figure, which might influence the Rating or tempt the observer to "rate by the watch"
i.e. clock rating.

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8.2 The rating figure assessed for an element of work represents the observer's idea of
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the average rating for that period of time. It is very difficult, especially where there is a
wide difference in ratings, for an observer to assess the average rating over a long
period of time. This is a strong argument in favour of assessing work over the
shortest practical periods of observation.

9. RATING PRACTICE

To enable the student to obtain practice in rating exercises, the following two tables give the
ratings and times at various levels for the walking exercise and for the card dealing Exercise.

TABLE 1 TABLE 2
Rating and times for walking Rating and times for dealing 52 cards into
distance of 88 feet four pile
75 Rating = 3 miles per hour 75 Rating = 0.500 minutes
100 Rating = 4 miles per hour 100 Rating = 0.375 minutes

RATING DECIMAL MINS RATING DECIMAL MINS

50 0.500 50 0.750
55 0.454 55 0.682
60 0.417 60 0.625
65 0.384 65 0.577
70 0.357 70 0.536
75 0.333 75 0.500
80 0.313 80 0.469
85 0.294 85 0.441
90 0.278 90 0.417
95 0.263 95 0.395
100 0.250 100 0.375
105 0.238 105 0.357
110 0.227 110 0.341
115 0.217 115 0.326
120 0.208 120 0.313
125 0.200 125 0.300
130 0.192 130 0.288
135 0.185 135 0.278
140 0.179 140 0.268

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10. CONSTRAINTS IMPOSED BY THE TASK
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In many tasks there will be certain constraints which influence the pace at which the task can
be performed at standard rating. These constraints fall into two main categories – Skill and
Effort, both of which are further sub-divided as follows:

SKILL Co-ordination - Continuity - Control

EFFORT Force Exerted - Motion Range

10.1 CO-ORDINATION

The amount of co-ordination which is necessary for the completion of the task will
affect the pace at which the task can be completed at a given rating.

Jobs which require a high level of co-ordination between body limbs or body motions
will frequently be completed fairly slowly in comparison with jobs where the co-
ordination requirements are not so stringent.

10.2 CONTINUITY

Continuity affects the pace of work in two ways:

10.2.I CONTINUITY OF MOVEMENT

The motion patterns, where possible, should be smooth and flow readily from
one to the next to form a continuous series of movements. Jerky motion
patterns or movements with large changes of direction will affect the pace of
the job significantly.

10.2.2 CONTINUITY OF WORK

Where work is of a highly repetitive intensive nature, workers can achieve high
levels of skill. So much so that working patterns become habitual. Workers,
however, who are on non-repetitive work or "one-off" jobs do not build up
rhythm in this manner. For these people, their output for the same effort will be
lower and the apparent pace will be slower.

10.3 CONTROL

Pace can also be affected by the degree of control necessary to perform the task.
Very small movements which must be carefully controlled and very precise will
seldom be done hastily. Often co-ordination and control go hand in hand as in the
case of a watchmaker working on the delicate components inside a watch
mechanism. He will be making very fine, co-ordinated and highly controlled precision
movements. A good deal of experience will be required in order to assess ratings
accurately in these situations.

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10.4 FORCE EXERTED

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The sheer physical effort needed to complete some tasks will affect the speed which
can be attained.

As an example, consider two operators working at 100 Rating. The first operator is
rolling an empty forty gallon drum and the second operator is rolling a full forty gallon
drum. The two drums will weigh totally different amounts of the order of 30lb and
450lb respectively. For the same rating it will take longer to cover a given distance
with the full drum than with the empty drum.

10.5 MOTION RANGE

Motion Range is: "The degree to which the body members are extended from their
normal working position". Jobs which are completed at the extremities of visual
perception will take more time to complete at a given rating than jobs ,which are
unrestrained.

11. RATING CHECKS

Trainees in the field of rating need to have a guideline to indicate the accuracy of their
observations. Standard Rating exercises and films are used as a direct comparison for each
observation using the observation sheet the results obtained by assessment are recorded and
then the "actual" ratings are written in. These results are then plotted on the rating
characteristic chart in order to see the rating profile. (See Appendix 1)

11.1 VARIATIONS

There are five main variations from the norm which can occur. These are:

11.1.1 Consistently loose ratings - too highly rated.

11.1.2 Consistently tight ratings - rated too low.

11.1.3 Flat Profile - ratings tend to be loose at the low end and tight at the higher
end. The rating range is being compressed.

11.1.4 Steep Profile - ratings tight at the low end and loose at the higher end. The
rating range is being expanded.

11.1. 5 Inconsistent - a mixture of correct, loose, tight, flat and steep ratings

Each of these variations can occur to varying degrees. In the example shown at
Appendix 1 the observer has produced ratings which have given a "FLAT RATING
PROFILE".

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11.2 RATING CLINICS
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The "Achilles Heel" of Work Measurement is rating drift. If the four main variations
shown above occur, the observer can be told of his error and this can then be
corrected. If the observer is inconsistent, then he cannot be corrected until his error
becomes either loose, tight, flat or steep.

The Harry Mitchell College runs rating Clinics either In-House or at the College for
firms who employ Work Measurement Personnel. The standard of rating accuracy
and consistency is checked against known bench mark films or videos and
competence cards are issued to those whose proficiency meets the required
standard. This card is valid for 1 year and is renewed at a subsequent rating clinic.

12. WORK SITUATIONS WHICH CAN MISLEAD OBSERVERS

There are several work situations which can lead the inexperienced observer astray with his
concept of standard rating for the job. Some such situations are:-

12.1 LEARNER OPERATORS

When rating inexperienced or learner operators whose motion patterns are not
smooth and effective.

12.2 100 FIXATION COMPLEX

By being tempted into the 100 fixation complex which has two branches:

12.2. 1 The first element observed is rated at 100, then of course everything
subsequently rated with this as a basis is wrong.

12.2.2 Everything is rated at 100. This makes the calculation stage very easy for the
observer but if the operator varies his effort significantly away from standard,
very large errors can be obtained.

12.3 CHOICE OF ELEMENTS

12.3. 1 If the observer chooses elements which are too short for practicable purposes,
there is a tendency to rate high. This is due to the fact that there is insufficient
time to make observations, the observer is under considerable pressure and is
rating his own efforts - self rating.

12.3.2 Conversely, if elements of work are chosen which are very long the observer
becomes bored. Psychologically this can mislead him into considering that
the operator is working slowly. Hence tight rating results.

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12.4 MATERIALS
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in many situations materials will vary noticeably. This is particularly the case where
natural materials are concerning i.e. vegetables, rocks, soils and wood. Such variance
in quality can also occur with man-made items which vary within tolerance limits or
even in excess of tolerance limits.

Significant variations in quality can affect the pace of work. The observer must
recognise therefore that a longer element time does not necessarily mean a lower
rating. Clock rating would be particularly dangerous in connection with such a variable
task.

12.5 EQUIPMENT FAULTS

Poor maintenance of machinery or equipment can often increase the work content of
the job for the operator. This means that a greater effort will be required for the
operator to achieve a known level of output. Loose rating would result. It is
preferable to ensure that machinery or equipment is adequately maintained and
serviced prior to study.

12.6 HEAVY MANUAL WORK

Because of the physical effort involved heavy manual work can appear to be slow. If
the full effect of the force factor is not appreciated by the observer, low rating can
occur.

12.7 INEFFECTIVE TIME

Often, ineffective time will occur in the middle of an element. It may be unnecessary
movements, excess work, unnecessary delays or rectification work which should not
be required. If this cannot be measured separately then this observation should be
ignored m subsequent calculations.

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