Lecture Notes series

(for internal purposes only)

Work Design & Measurement : Work Sampling

Updated by : Anny Maryani, 2021

Ergonomics and Work System Design Laboratory

Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Faculty of Industrial Technology & Systems Engineering
Definition
 The process of analyzing work for the purpose of setting
standard time.
 Why ?
• Allocating and determining work schedules.
• Motivate and measure performance
• Performance evaluation.
• Provide benchmarks as benchmarks.
 Objective – obtain standard time and output.
 Standard wages and work incentives / bonuses (concept
realization“a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work”).
 Standard measurement and timing / output procedures
(bottom up) :
• Basic measurement time (observation time)
• Normal time (adjustment with operator performance)
• Adds for allowances time (fatigue, personal needs and
delays).
 Prior to the measurement the work method should be
standardized. The operator is informed (explain the work
measurement objectives). The measurement of time in a
sufficient and uniform amount of data, etc.).
Working Time Measurement
Method
SAMPLING KERJA
(Work Sampling)
 Work Sampling
• Sampling the activities of a person or states of a
machine to determine the percentage of time
spent on each possible activity (or state).
• Work sampling is a technique used to
investigate the propostions of total time
devoted to the various activities that constitute
a job or work situation.

Work Sampling
Example States
• Person (Orang)
 The percentage of time spent working or not working,
OR
 Using machines, performing services, being unemployed,
communicating with superiors, getting training etc.

• Machine (Mesin)
 Running, down waiting for service, down being serviced,
waiting for material

Work Sampling
Work Sampling
• Usage:
 Memerlukan waktu yang sedikit (less time consuming)
 Mudah untuk dilakukan (easier to do)
 Sedikit perhitungan (fewer calculations)
 Berguna untuk pekerjaan tidak berulang (useful when tasks
aren’t repetitive)

• However, it has lower accuracy than the stopwatch time study

Work Sampling
Work Sampling
• Usage :
 Learn Ratio delay
 Menentukan standar pekerja (labor standards)
 Mengukur kinerja pekerja (Measuring worker performance)
 Identify value added activity, semi-value added activity dan
non-value added activity

• Applied on :
 Variation of “service” jobs,
 non-repetitive activities,
 activity with a long cycle time

Work Sampling
Advantage of Work Sampling over
Time Study
 Several work sampling studies may be conducted
simultaneously by one observer.
 The observer need not be a trained analyst
unless the purpose of the study is to determine a
time standard.
 No timing devices are required.
 Work of a long cycle time may be studied with
fewer observer hours.

Work Sampling
Advantage of Work Sampling over
Time Study
 The duration of the study is longer, which
minimizes effects of short-period
variations
 The study may be temporarily delayed at
any time with little effect
Because work sampling needs only
instantaneous observations (made over a
longer period), the operator has less
chance to influence the findings by
changing work method.

Work Sampling
Work Sampling Method
• At a predetermined random time, observations are conducted
on the activity of the operator (or machine) at the time of
observation.

• At the end of the observation, the calculation (tally) of the

recording results is carried out and determines the percentage
of time for each activity by person or machine.

Work Sampling
Apa dan Bagaimana Cara
Pengukurannya?
• Work sampling, ratio “delay-activity” study,
random observations method.
• Direct measurement activity (direct time study)
which requires many observations and is carried
out on the work activities of one or more
machines, work facilities, or operators to detect
unproductive working conditions (idle/delay).
• Productive activities = value added activity
• Non productive activities = semi-value added
activity dan non-value added activity

Work Sampling
How to Measure?
• The technical basis of measurement :
1. Following the law of probability,
2. Observations are carried out by following the
principles of sampling where the principle of
randomness (random) in taking the moments of
observation must be carried out at any time, during
the work period, so that later it will require a large
enough number of observations (the distribution
pattern of the data sample must be the same as the
population. ).

Work Sampling
Measurement Application
• Looking for comparisons between productive (operational)
activities and unproductive activities (idle, delay, loading-
unloading, etc.)  categorized as value added activity, semi-
value added activity, non-value added activity.
• Measure "allowance time" (loose time), namely the length of
time that occurs when an "interruption" takes place in an
operational routine activity that is difficult to measure using
the stop-watch time study method.
• Measuring the level of performance (performance level) and
utilization of an asset (machines, production facilities, etc.).

Work Sampling
Measurement Application
• Measure and set the time / standard output (standard time /
output).
• Calculate and determine the percentage and proportion of
various types of work activities carried out by machines, tools
or workers that can perform various functions and tasks.

Work Sampling
Value Added Activity
• Value added activity : jobs that provide added value to the
products / services produced.
• Semi-value added activity : jobs that provide added value
indirectly, this work needs to exist but with the minimum
time possible.
• Non-value added activity : jobs / working conditions that do
not add value to the product, for example idle, delay etc.

17
Value Added Activity

18
 Pengamatan & Pengukuran

rest
07.00 12.00 - 13.00 16.00

istirahat

Work Element Tally Total

Observations were made at the
moment operator / machine at
Productive Activities 36 work

Non Productive Observations were made at the

Activities
12 moment operator / machine
not working (idle / delay).

Work Sampling
Sample Work Sampling Observation Sheet

OBSERVATION SHEET
Activity : Observation Date : 2021
Machine Name : Time : s/d
Operator Name : Observer Name :
Workstation Name : Sign :
Factory Name :

Work Element Observe Frequency(Tally) Total %

Activity # 1

Activity # 2

Activity # 3, dst

Number of Overall Observations

Work Sampling
 Form for evaluating machine
breakdown
Transopo Idle Personal
Activity 1 Activity 2 Activity 3 r-tation Need
09:48 √
10:58 √
11:29 √
12:02 √
12:22 √
13:05 √
13:56 √
14:33 √
14:55
15:05 √
15:37 √
16:23 √

Work Sampling
And so on…
 Use of a Random Number Table
Alternative 1:
39 6 = 03.96 or 16.36
Observations are carried out at 4:36
Random Number Table p.m. (if it turns out that this hour is
outside of working hours, then it is
39 65 76 45 45 19 90 69 64 61 canceled and searched again for a
73 71 23 70 90 65 97 60 12 11
more suitable time / time.
72 20 47 33 84 51 67 47 97 19
75 17 23 69 17 17 95 21 78 58 73 7 = 07.37
37 48 79 88 74 63 52 06 34 30
Observations are carried out at
02 89 08 16 94 85 53 83 29 95 07.37 and see what events occur at
87 18 15 70 07 37 79 49 12 38 that time (productive or non-
98 83 71 70 15 89 09 39 59 24 productive). Do a "tally" on the
10 08 58 07 04 76 62 available observation sheet.
47 90 56 37 31

Work Sampling
 Use of a Random Number Table

Alternative 2 :
0 60 120 180 240
Random Number Table 07.00 08.00 09.00 10.00 11.00 …dst
39 65 76 45 45 19 90 69 64 61
73 71 23 70 90 65 97 60 12 11 Digit 39, the observation is made at
72 20 47 33 84 51 67 47 97 19 07.39
75 17 23 69 17 17 95 21 78 58 Digits 65, observations made at
37 48 79 88 74 63 52 06 34 30
08.05, etc.
02 89 08 16 94 85 53 83 29 95
87 18 15 70 07 37 79 49 12 38
98 83 71 70 15 89 09 39 59 24
10 08 58 07 04 76 62
47 90 56 37 31

Work Sampling
• For example, and operator observed 250 times was idle 50
times. Then you could say the operator is idle 20% of the
time…
• BUT is 250 observations enough to come to that conclusion?
How confident are you that your result is accurate???

Work Sampling
 The Six Steps Work Sampling
Procedure
1. Decide what you want to know when the study is complete
 Only “working” and “non-working” time
 If you study machine uptime vs downtime, the causes of downtime
are important
 If people are "non-productive", what are they doing?
2. Perform initial sampling to obtain estimated parameter values
3. Calculate the number of sample sizes needed.
4. Prepare an observation schedule accordingly.
5. Observe and record worker activities, determine work performance.
Performance
6. Determine the percentage of working and idle time.

Work Sampling
Work Sampling - Sample Size

z p 1  p 
2
n 2
h

p = estimated value of sample proportion (of time

worker is observed busy or idle)
h = accuracy level desired in percent, expressed as
a decimal

Work Sampling
 Work Sampling Examples
2 2
 What is the minimum sample Z  2 
n    p(1  p)    .5(1  .5)  400
size required to estimate the e  .05 
proportion with an accuracy of
5% of the true value, with a  Here we want to solve for
confidence level of 95.5%? Z, since n, p, and e are known.
 What is the confidence level
that our estimate is within 5% p(1  p) .8(1  .8)
Z  e/  .05 /  1.25
of the true proportion if, in a N 100
sample of n=100, we estimate
that p = 0.8?  From the standard normal
table (Appendix D) the area
under the normal curve from
the mean to +/-Z =1.25 is about
78.9%
 Work Sampling Equations

(Total Time) (% of time working) (Rating)

Normal Time =
Number of units Produced

Normal Time
Standard Time =
1 - Allowance

Work Sampling
 Work Sampling Application for a
Variety of Activities

OBSERVATION

Non-Productive
Productive Activities % (1-p) % (p)
Activities

Productive Activities # 1 % Delay (Avoidable/ %

Unavoidable)
Productive Activities # 2 %
Loading-Unloading,
%
Productive Activities # 3 % Material Handling

Personal Needs &

Productive Activities # 4 % Fatigue, etc %
Work Sampling
Work Sampling Time Studies
 Individual Assignment
• Each student chooses a job close to your home that to be observed
using the Work Sampling method.
• For example, a grocer, a seller of both food, a bicycle repair shop etc.
• Each student is asked to identify the work element in the object of
observation.
• Each student makes a random observation time of 1 hour for 30 data.
• Each student performs work sampling observations according to the
random time and elements that have been arranged.