Work simplification and Mundel's classes of change
Work simplification is consciously seeking the simplest, easiest and quickest way to do a task. Mundel's five classes of change run from body motions to raw materials.
Definition and importance
Work simplification is the conscious seeking of the simplest, easiest and quickest method of doing work. Put simply, it means doing more work with the same time and energy, or the same work with less. It matters because it saves time and energy, reduces fatigue and strain, improves the quality and safety of work, leaves more time for family and leisure, and helps working women, older people and people with disabilities run a home. It is most useful during peak loads and in large kitchens.
Techniques of work simplification
Formal techniques come from industrial motion and time study (the Gilbreths, Mundel). Home science uses them to study kitchens and household tasks.
Mundel's five classes of change
| Class | What is changed | Home or kitchen example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hand and body motions (body position and movements) | Sit on a stool to cut vegetables; use both hands to shell peas; slide a heavy vessel instead of lifting it |
| 2 | Work place, tools and equipment | Keep oil and the spice box beside the stove; set the counter to the worker's height; use a mixer-grinder instead of a grinding stone |
| 3 | Production sequence (order of steps) | Wash all the vegetables first, then cut them all; soak dal the night before; cook rice and dal together in one cooker |
| 4 | Finished product | Serve one-pot pongal or bisi bele bath instead of rice, sambar, rasam and poriyal; leave drip-dry clothes unironed |
| 5 | Raw materials | Use ready idli batter, ready sambar powder, frozen peas or non-iron fabric |
Using the five classes
- Start with Class 1: changing motions costs nothing and is fully in the worker's control.
- Each higher class is a bigger change, often needing more money and more agreement from others.
- Class 4 and Class 5 changes alter what the family eats or wears, so discuss them with the family first.
- Combine classes: a better counter height (Class 2) plus a better order of steps (Class 3) saves more than either alone.
Diet and hospital kitchens use all five classes: workers sit to clean vegetables (1), steam kettles and mobile racks stand beside the cooking area (2), therapeutic trays are assembled in a fixed sequence along a line (3), standard one-dish recipes suit soft diets (4), and pre-cut or pre-portioned foods cut handling (5). Less fatigue means fewer errors in special diets.
2 marks: “Define work simplification.” The conscious seeking of the simplest, easiest and quickest way of doing work: more work with the same time and energy, or the same work with less.
5 marks: “What are the formal and informal techniques of work simplification?” Informal: observation, questioning and common sense. Formal: process chart, operation chart, multiman chart, pathway chart and cyclegraph, each defined in one line.
10 marks: “Explain Mundel's classes of change with suitable examples.” Define work simplification, then explain all five classes in order with a kitchen example each, noting that higher classes need bigger changes.
Mundel's five move from you to the food: Body motions → Tools and work place → Steps (sequence) → finished Product → raw Material. Say it as 'Body, Tools, Steps, Product, Material'.