SHAFT STUDY

Series

Series Name

Mining Review 12th Year

Issue

Issue No.

9

Date Released

May 1959

Stories in this Issue:

1. 1NOT SO DUSTY
2. 2TRIO
3. 3SHAFT STUDY

Story

Story No. within this Issue

3 / 3

Summary

BFI synopsis: work study survey of shaft operations. Method Study Department sets out to make the safest and most effective use of the industry’s resources.
NCB Commentary - The stop-watch comes into its own in the hands of the men who operate one of the newer, specialised services in the coal industry - method study. But the stopwatch is not the whole story, for method study sets out to make the safest and most effective use of the industry’s resources. Exact data is collected under working conditions. Then it’s analysed and conclusions drawn from it. Take a particular case - a new shaft which was not coming up to expectations and underground development was accordingly held up. No one knew "why". Was it the gear - the men - the system or the design? It was a textbook problem for the area method study engineer.
First a visit to the colliery, where the pit manager, a busy man at his wits end to find the answer, supplied the basic facts they needed to begin the study. Next stage was the establishing of friendly relations with the men - the reason why the job was being done was explained and their co-operation sought.
From now on every movement would be timed and listed on the method study engineer’s sheet.
Man-riding first - it was taking quite a time to get the men on board and the cage away.
Every phase was examined - in the engine house - at pit top and pit bottom the record of minutes, seconds and tenths of seconds was built up.
That stop could be a cause of trouble.
Yes - and precious time was lost while they got it back.
And so the survey went on. After about a week, the clicking of the stop-watch gave way to the clacking of the adding machines as the results were analysed and a table of losses made.
From the table the manager could see exactly what time went where and, armed with the facts, he could make his own plans accordingly.
Most of the delays were from small causes - but they all added up. The mechanical ones can be put right but the time spent in manriding lost 209 tons of coal every shift. Well, the problem was partially solved like this. Two decks loaded at one go.
The Area Method Study Engineer and his men had made a contribution to the efficiency of the colliery by placing in the manager’s hadns a complete mathematical picture of his shaft.
An example of how the growing method study staff are already having an effect in increasing the efficiency of production in our pits.

Researcher Comments

This is a condensation of the NCB film ‘Shaft Survey’. Commentary recorded 31st March 1959.

Keywords

Science and technology; Mining; Energy resources

Written sources

British Film Institute Databases   Used for synopsis
Film User   Vol.13 No.157 November 1959, p585.
The National Archives COAL 32   /12 Scripts for Mining Review, 1956-1960

Credits:

Production Co.

Documentary Technicians Alliance

Sponsor

National Coal Board