REACH 1

element should be classified as a transport empty or as a transport loaded.

Some contended that because the scissors were "only going along for the
ride," so to speak, the classification should be transport empty. Others
insisted that because the hand carried an object, the classification must
be transport loaded, reasoning that the weight of the object transported
would have an important effect on the time required to make the motion.
Analysis and investigation conducted to develop the methods-time meas
urement procedure definitely showed, however, that the major influ
encing factor was the predominant purpose of making the motion, not

FIG. 14.-Standard Reach-hand not moving at beginning or end of Reach.

the weight of the object carried, at least in the case of light objects. For
example, the movement of a pair of tweezers to a tray of parts where the
tines must' first be carefully positioned before the part can be grasped
was found to require a greater amount of time than a motion of the same
length in which the hand carries the tweezers without any intent of using
them after arriving at the destination. In the light of these findings, the
basic element Transport Empty was redefined, and the more descriptive
name Reach was selected.
STARTING AND STOPPING POINTS
There are three different general types of Reach, which may be
described as follows :
1. Hand is I_JOt moving at beginning and at end of Reach.
2. Hand is in motion at either beginning or end of Reach.
3. Hand is in motion at both beginning and end of Reach .
The first type, illustrated by Fig. 14, is known as the "standard
motion'' because it occurs most frequently. The ha nd starts, acceler
ates, moves for a while at its maximum rate of travel, decelerates, and
stops. A curve of rate of travel vs. distance moved would appear as in

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 REACH 3
Fig. 15. The curve from A to B represents the period of start and
acceleration. The curve from B to C represents the period of movement
at constant rate of travel. The curve from C to D shows the period of
deceleration and stop.
To measure the time consumed by a standard Reach motion when
motion pictures were being analyzed, the motion was considered to
begin at the frame before the frame in which the first noticeable motion
l

Rate of
travel
B c

A Distance D
FIG. 15.-Rate of travel vs. distance moved-standard Reach .

•
FIG. 16.-Type 2 Reach-hand in motion at beginn ing of Reach.

takes place . It was considered to end at the frame where noticeable

motion has ceased. In most cases observed, the starting and stopping
points were not at all difficult to determine.
In the second type of motion , the hand is in motion either at the
beginning or the end of the Reach . Thus the period either of start and
acceleration ( AB, Fig. 15) or of deceleration and stop ( CD, Fig. 15)
is eliminated. It is obvious, therefore, that a motion of this type
consumes less time than the standard motion where both acceleration
and decelera tion are present. Figure 16 illustrates a type 2 Reach . Here
a part has been disposed of by drop delivery as the hand travels to the
next part to be grasped. As soon as the part is released, Reach begins.
Because it is unnecessary to slow down at the point of release, the hand
is in motion at the beginning of Reach.

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 REACH 5
The amount of the difference in time between type 1 and type 2
Reaches varies with the case of motion and also slightly with the length
of motion. The difference in TMU for cases A and B is shown by the •
table, Fig. 17.

Difference between type 1

Distance
and type 2 Reach, TMU
moved,
inches
Case A Case B

4 1.2 2 .8
5 1.2 2.8
6 1.3 2 .9
7 1.3 2.8
8 1.4 2.9
9 1.4 2 .9
10 1.4 2.9
12 1.5 2 .8
14 1.6 2 .9
16 1.7 2.9
18 1.8 2.8
20 1.8
22 1.9
24 2 .0
26 2 .1
28 2.2
30 2.2

FIC. 17.-Difference in 'flMU between type 1 and type 2 Reaches, cases A and B.

In the third type of motion, the hand is in motion at both the begin
ning and the end of the Reach. This is illustrated by Fig. 18. This type
of motion is made the most quickly of all, because both "start and
accelerate" and "decelerate and stop" are eliminated. No formal research
has yet been undertaken to determine the time for this motion, because
no motions of this type were encountered in the original study. A
number of type 3 motions were encountered in a subsequent application
study, however. In assigning a time to them, the time was computed by
subtracting from the time for the standard motion, twice the difference
between the type 1 and the type 2 Reach, as shown in Fig. 17. Thus the
time for a type 3 case B Reach, 10 inches long, R lOB2m, was computed
as
11.5 -2 X 2.9 = 5.7 TMU. The total cycle time determined when treat
ing the type 3 Reaches in this manner checked closely with the total
actual cycle time; therefore it may be concluded tentatively that this is a

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50 METHODS-TIME M EASU REM
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satisfactory method of determining the time for type 3 Reaches until
more data are available.
When the hand is in motion at the beginning of a Reach, the starting
point is taken to be the frame that marks the termination of the pre
ceding basic element. In the instance illustrated by Fig. 16 where the
part is disposed of by dropping it on the way to get the next part, the
Reach is considered to begin as soon as the Release of the part has been
completed .
When the hand is in motion at the end of a Reach, the stopping point
is taken to be the frame that marks the beginning of the next basic
element. For example, assume that the hand moves to a small flat part
/
..,==9=S:: '-.., I
(}'
; i , I r'

1-.....
/.z_------t- i
L"\i..---
r-
...
1'
J t----:.y/ - ,'I
:..\ ''='
.4 ----_L?
, , -q -.., I 'J h\."' ;
I ,''
----'" . t .- If'- I
'r- -flr,1:- - - \ ------77- \ .,.J'.C.• •,J,.,
L
I

"/ I JI I
I t<----t, , \
\ '
,I...._.. 1' I'

[J'
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t( a
11 I J
,.
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1 I ,
\ , I

\\\
.:
' II I 1· JI I I I - I 1 I
"'I. 1 ' ,' I }- t "( f I

......, .l ......,("\ ..,,,,

"\\
FIG. 18.-Type 3 Reach-af ter disposing of a part by drop delivery, hand grasps '"
next part on the fly.
lying on a smooth surface and without hesitation makes a Contact Grasp
and slides the part along in the same direction the hand was moving at
the instant of contact. The stopping point of the Reach would be the
frame in which contact with the part is made.
On light, repetitive work, it has been found that operators, af ter a
period of practice, tend to replace type 1 motions with type 2 and type 3
motions. This constitutes a change in method, which will be discussed
at greater length in another chapter.

DETERMINING LENGTH OF MOTION

The greatest chance for error in applying the methods-time data to the
motion of Reach lies in the determination of the length of the motion.
The most accurate method of determination is, of course, by actual
measurement. In measuring, the only precautions to observe are that
the true path of the motion is measured-not just the straight-line dis
tance between the two terminal points-and that the measurement is
made at the same part of the hand at the bginning and the end of the
motion. The knuckle at the base of the index finger is a convenient
point to use in many cases.

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 REACH 5
Frequently it is not practical to measure motion lengths, in which 1
case
they must be estimated. Great care should be exercised in estimating
distances. Experience has shown that most people are poor estimators
of distance. They improve with practice and eventually achieve reason
able accuracy, but at first their estimates are usually far from correct.
Accuracy of estimating will be increased if the analyst will make the
motion himself, duplicating as nearly as possible the motion made by the
operator, and then measure the distance his own hand moves, using a
12-inch flexible rule. This does not have to be done at the work station,
as long as the analyst has a good mental picture of the location of the
object to which the Reach ·is made.
The motions from which the data were derived were all normal Reach
motions made over straight or normally curved paths. Motions where
the hand travels a circular path have not at the present writing been sub
jected to detailed study. In application , however, it has been found that
if the distance the hand travels, namely, the circumference of the circle
described by the hand, is used as the length of the motion , the results
appear quite satisfactory. This practice may therefore be followed until
more data are available.

REACH MOTIONS INVOLVING BODY MOVEMENTS

Many Reach motions involve a certain amount of body movement.
The most common occurrence is when the body or shoulders move in
the same direction as the direction of the Reach . In this case, the body
assists the Reach. It speeds up the Reach motion relative to the object ,
for the movement of the hand imparted by the body is added or over
lapped with the movement of the hand imparted by the arm.
To determine the time for a Reach where a minor body movement
occurs in the same direction as the Reach, the table of Reach times is
used. For example, in Fig. 19, the operator's hand begins the Reach at
A with B as its final destination. To perform the Reach with the
shoulder and body held in a fixed position would be unnatural , fatiguing,
and time consuming. Therefore the body and shoulder move toward B
at the same time that the hand moves from A to B. Since these motions
are combined, the distance which determines the time for the Reach is
actually the distance which must be moved by the hand minus the
distance moved by the shoulder. If the distance moved by the shoulder
were 4 inches, and the total distance moved by the hand were 16 inches,
the time allowed for the Reach motion would be that of a ( 16-4) or a
12-inch Reach.

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 REACH 5
Thus, when the body assists the arm and hand in a Reach 1
to a destina
tion by simultaneously moving in the same direction as the hand, the
length of the Reach is considered to be the distance traversed by the
hand minus the distance moved by the shoulder or body.
In a study of a foundry operation, a case was found where the body
moved in the opposite direction from the hand. In this case, the length
of the Reach was considered to be the distance moved by the hand plus
the distance moved by the body. A check of the actual time consumed

12"
11
16
FIG. 19.-Reach accompanied by a body motion made in the same direction as that
traveled by the hand.
against the computed time showed close agreement and indicated that
this was the proper way to handle this type of motion.
When a Reach is accompanied by a turning or pivotal movement of
the body, as when an operator turns to reach for something in back of
him, the assistance given to the movement of the hand by the body is
greatly increased. This may be readily seen by considering what happens
when a yardstick is swung with one end acting as a pivot, as shown by
Fig. 20. When the yardstick is swung through 90°, the 12-inch mark
travels 18.82 inches, the 24-inch mark travels 37.64 inches, and the
36-inch mark travels 56.46 inches.
The same thing happens in the case of Reaches accompanied by a
pivoting of the body. The distance from the vertical axis of the body to
the shoulder is approximately 6 inches. When the arm is partly extended

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 54 METHODS-TIME M EASU REM ENT

to a normal working position, the distance from the shoulder to the hand
is approximately 24 inches. Therefore, when the shoulder moves 1 inch
as the body pivots, the hand moves 4 inches. Thus to determine the
time for a.Reach accompanied by a body pivot, the lengtli of the Reach
motion is considered to be the distance moved by the hand minus four
times the distance moved by the shoulder when the arm is partly
extended to the normal working position . If the arm is fully extended,
the distance from ·the shoulder to the hand is approximately 30 inches,
and the multiplier thus becomes 30 + 6, or 5. In all the cases of com-

Fie. 20.- Distance moved iby the 12-, 24-,. and 36-inch marks on a yardstick when
it is pivoted 90° about one end.
bined body and hand movement described above, it is assumed that the
movement of the hand attributable to arm motion requires more time
than the movement of the hand attributable to body motion, or in other
words, that the arm movement is limiting. In all cases studied thus far,
this condition exists; therefore it is assumed that when body movement
and arm movement are combined, the operator will ii:istinctively accom
plish the major part of the movement with the faster moving member, or
the arm, and will use the body motion only as a means of assisting the
arm motion.

CLASSIFICATIONS OF REACH
In addition to the length and the type of Reach, the time required to
perform the Reach is influenced by the nature of the object toward which
the Reach is made. Analysis of available data has led to the establishing
of five classifications of destinations. These classifications, or cases, may
be explained as follows:

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UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN
54 METHODS-TIME M EASU REM ENT

Case A. Reach For Object in Fixed Location or For Object in Other

Hand or on Which Other Hand Rests. This is the fastest case of Reach,
for the amount of conscious direction required to make the motion suc
cessfully is reduced to a minimum. A common example of an object in
a fixed location is a control lever on a machine. Because the operator
must reach constantly toward that control lever, after a number of repeti
tions, he learns exactly where that lever is in relation to the rest of the
workplace . He becomes so oriented that he can moe to the lever from
other parts of the workplace without having to look for the lever with
his eyes. He develops a set of habits of automaticity that enable him to
perform the Reach in a minimum amount of time.
Most operators who qualify for factory work learn to make case A
motions to objects in a fixed location by the time they have practiced the
job sufficiently to develop average skill. With further practice and 'the
development of greater skill, the better operators tend to use case A
motions for Reaches which are to objects which are not truly in fixed
positions. A machine molder in an iron foundry, for example, worked
at the same type of machine for many years. He habitually kept his bag
of parting sand on the head of the machine in the same location. An
analysis of a motion picture of this molder performing his molding opera
tion showed that he reached for the parting sand in the time ordinarily
attained only in reaching to an object in a fixed location. Other molders
less experienced than the first were found to require the time for a case B
motion, or the time for a "reach for a single object in a location that may
vary slightly from cycle to cycle." The indication is, therefore, that with
constant repetition a case B motion can be changed to a case A motion.
This is interesting, for it indicates one way in which a highly skilled
operator can outperform an operator of average skill.
When the Reach is toward an object held in the other hand, the same
sense of orientation exists as when the Reach is toward an object in a
fixed location. One hand is able to find the other with a minimum of
conscious direction and without the aid of sight. The situation is similar
if one hand rests on an object close to the point to be grasped
by the other hand. Three examples of the case A Reach are illustrated
by Fig. 21.
Case A Reaches may be type 1, type 2, or type 3 motions, as indeed is
true for any other case of Reach . Case A Reaches are quite commonly
encountered, although they are not as common as case B Reaches on
most jobs.

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Fm. 21.- Examples of case A

Reach. (a ) Reach to a machine lever;
(b) Reach to a part in other hand; ( c
) Reach to a part on which other
hand rests.

(c)

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56 METHODS-TIME M EASU REM ENT

Case B. Reach For Single Object in Loca tion That May Vary Slightly
from Cycle to Cycle. In this case, a certain amount of direction is re
quired to make the motion successfully . In drilling on a sensitive drill
press on which a box jig is being used, for example, the operator knows
the approximate location of the jig at all times. Because its exact posi
tion may vary an inch or two from cycle to cycle, however, it is necessary
for the operator to look at the jig each time he reaches for it in order to
be able to grasp it without fumbling. This slows down the motion so
that the case B Reach consumes appreciably more time than a case A
Reach of the same type and length .
f . ... --- •
, .,... ... _ ,' '

I ..
,:.., ----­
,,,-,, / / '1
-

'1 I I

// f ,',L-·\
' l :y'\
I "'
' '',
' ' ,-, '
' \ \
' )}

FIG. 22 .-Reach to an object in a group.

Examples of the case B Reach are n umerous. Reaching for a setscrew
on a jig , reaching for a pencil in one's pocket, reaching for a single part
in a jig, and reaching for a part by itself on a workbench , as shown by
Fig. 14, are all examples . Case B Reaches are usually easy to identify,
although when the other hand is resting on a part some distance from
the point of grasp, it is sometimes difficult to decide whether a case A
or a case B Reach is employed. A good rule of thumb to follow is that
the other hand must rest on the part within 3 inches of the point of
grasp to justify the case A classification . Otherwise, the Reach is a
case B.
Case C. Reach for Object in Group. When objects are jumbled to
gether in a group, as shown in Fig 22, it is necessary for the mind to
make a selection before one of the objects can be grasped . This extends
the time for grasping, and it also slows down the Reach to a certain
extent. Case C Reaches are easy to recognize, for they occur whenever
material or other objects are jumbled together haphazardly. Small parts
jumbled together in a tote pan or parts in an unstacked pile on a work
bench cause case C Reaches. In the latter case, as the material begins

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