Complete Guide to ILO Fatigue Allowances

Complete Guide to ILO Fatigue Allowances

• CRONOMETRAS Team

Learn how to correctly apply ILO fatigue allowances in your time studies

Key Points:

  • ILO fatigue allowances include additional time for personal needs, fatigue, and unavoidable delays.
  • The ILO in its latest published allowance tables (v.4) suggests 5% for personal needs and 5% as a constant base for fatigue, plus a variable percentage according to working conditions.
  • Factors such as heavy work, noise, or temperature affect the calculation, with specific percentages for each condition.

Introduction to Fatigue Allowances: Fatigue allowances are additional times added to the basic time in time studies to compensate for physical and mental fatigue, personal needs, and unavoidable delays, ensuring fair standards according to the ILO. This helps improve productivity and workplace wellbeing.

Calculation of Allowances: First, calculate the basic time of the task. Then, add 5% for personal needs (such as bathroom breaks). For fatigue, include a 4% base and add variable percentages according to conditions, such as 4% for heavy work or 1% for noise. For example, if the work is heavy and noisy, add 5% more (4% + 1%). Unavoidable delays, such as machine failures, are evaluated separately.

Surprising Details on Variability: It’s surprising how factors such as temperature (1% for every 5°C above 25°C) or weight lifting (2% for every 10 kg) can significantly increase standard time, reflecting the ILO’s detailed approach to specific working conditions.

Detailed Note

Fatigue allowances, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO) guidelines, are an essential component in time and motion studies, designed to ensure that standard times fairly reflect real working conditions, including the impact of fatigue, personal needs, and unavoidable delays. This analysis is based on the detailed methodology in publications such as Introduction to Work Study by the ILO, edited by George Kanawaty in 1992, and various academic and practical sources that interpret these recommendations.

Fundamentals of Allowances

Allowances are divided into three main categories, each with a specific purpose:

  1. Constant Allowances:

    • Personal Needs: This allowance covers activities such as bathroom breaks, drinking water, or other personal interruptions. The ILO suggests a standard percentage of 5% of basic time, although it may vary depending on the work environment, as mentioned in YourArticleLibrary.
    • Basic Fatigue: Includes a constant base component of 4%, applicable to both genders, as detailed in YourArticleLibrary, to compensate for the minimum fatigue expected under normal conditions.
    • Base Factors to Consider: These include physical and psychological characteristics of the worker, such as recovery capacity, and are integrated into the calculation to establish a minimum.

  2. Variable Allowances:

    • Work Posture: Factors such as standing (2%), stooping (2%), kneeling (3%), or crawling (4%) add percentages to the allowance, according to tables reviewed in ResearchGate.
    • Physical Effort: Includes categories such as light work (2%), medium (3%), heavy (4%), and very heavy work (5%), in addition to lifting (2% for every 10 kg) and pushing/pulling (2% for every 10 kg), as suggested in Industrial Engineering Lab.
    • Environmental Conditions: Factors such as noise (1%), heat (1% for every 5°C above 25°C), cold (1% for every 5°C below 15°C), humidity (1% for every 10% above 70%), poor lighting (1%), poor ventilation (1%), dust (1%), and fumes (1%) are added according to conditions, as per ResearchGate.
    • Mental Stress: Although less quantified, it includes factors such as mental stress and cognitive effort, which may require additional adjustments based on observations, as discussed in Wikipedia PFD allowance.

Practical Application

The application of these allowances requires a detailed evaluation of the work environment and specific working conditions. The process includes:

  • Condition Assessment:

    • Work Environment Analysis: Observe factors such as posture, physical effort, and environmental conditions through direct studies, as described in Apparel Resources.
    • Environmental Factor Measurement: Use instruments to measure temperature, noise, lighting, etc., and assign the corresponding percentages.
    • Workload Evaluation: Classify the work as light, medium, heavy, or very heavy to determine physical effort allowances.

  • Allowance Calculation:

    • Step-by-Step Methodology:
      1. Determine the basic time through timing and performance rating.
      2. Add the personal allowance (5% of basic time).
      3. Add the constant basic fatigue allowance (4% of basic time).
      4. Sum the variable percentages based on conditions (e.g., 4% for heavy work, 2% for standing, 1% for noise).
      5. Calculate the total allowance and add it to the basic time to obtain the standard time.
    • Use of Reference Tables: The ILO provides tables, as mentioned in ResearchGate, that list percentages for each factor, although there is no universal standard, according to ResearchGate review.
    • Special Considerations: Adjustments for new workers, injured workers, or night shifts, as suggested in Apparel Resources.

  • Validation:

    • Result Verification: Compare standard times with actual observations and adjust if necessary, as recommended in LinkedIn Pulse.
    • Necessary Adjustments: Review changing conditions, such as aging machinery or warm environments, and update allowances.
    • Process Documentation: Record all calculations and conditions for future reference and audits, as suggested in YourArticleLibrary.

Benefits of Correct Application

  • More Accurate Standard Times: Ensure that times reflect real conditions, improving planning, as discussed in Industrial Engineering Knowledge Center.
  • Greater Worker Acceptance: Reduce resistance to change by considering their wellbeing, as mentioned in LinkedIn Pulse.
  • Better Production Planning: Provide reliable data for scheduling and optimizing resources, according to Apparel Resources.
  • Basis for Ergonomic Improvement Programs: Identify conditions that need improvements, such as noise or uncomfortable postures, to reduce fatigue, as suggested in Wikipedia PFD allowance.

Key Recommendations

  • Keep Documentation Updated: Record all calculations and conditions for future reviews, as recommended in YourArticleLibrary.
  • Conduct Periodic Reviews: Evaluate changes in working conditions and adjust allowances, as suggested in LinkedIn Pulse.
  • Consider Operator Feedback: Include the opinion of workers to improve accuracy, as mentioned in Apparel Resources.
  • Adapt to Specific Conditions: Customize allowances according to the sector (manufacturing, services, etc.), as discussed in Industrial Engineering Lab.

Note: Percentages are approximate and should be adjusted according to specific conditions, based on ResearchGate and other sources.

This guide provides a comprehensive framework for implementing fatigue allowances according to the ILO, ensuring that standard times are realistic and promote a balance between productivity and workplace wellbeing.

Key Citations

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