InterAction of Bath

InterAction of Bath us a small consultancy based in the World Heritage City of Bath, in South West England.  We supply high quality analysis and training in the areas of Human Factors and Safety - services known as Human Performance Engineering.  Established since 1991, we have considerable experience of most industrial sectors, particularly Defence.  Our mission is to become the UK's leading Human Factors consultancy.

Ergonomics/ Human Factors

Human Factors, also known as human-centred design - is focused on optimising the interactions between people, the equipment they use, the people they work with and their working environment.  As a result, the people and the systems become more productive safer and more reliable.  Central to the concept of Human Factors is understanding the needs and desires of the individual, and encapsulating that within their environment.  Asking the individual in what way can the environment be enhanced to support them in their activities.

Within the workplace HF can investigate areas such as thermal comfort, lighting levels, ease of use of machinery as a few examples.  Locations and functionality of equipment is also a focus as in utilising equipment the individual is able to perform their job.  Essentially HF will explore any interaction between an individual and the world around them and subsequently try to establish a mechanism for making it optimal.

In performing a Human Factors assessment it is possible to determine whether or not the situation an individual is occupying is meeting their optimal needs.  Each individual has a different set of requirements, just as they have a set of different capabilities, it is the role of Human Factors to tailor the two together.  HF draws a synergy between an individuals needs and demands and the ability of the environment to support and facilitate them.

Productivity rates and use of personnel is also impacted by HF, in assessing the runnings of a workplace we are able to determine whether or not the operation is running as effectively as possible.  Does the workplace facilitate the desire for high productivity?  HF can help to determine the answer.

Human Factors operates on not only optimal solutions, but also the best practicable solutions.  InterAction of Bath prides itself on the ability to produce meaningful and practical solutions to unique situations.

Safety Case

A Safety Case is the body of evidence and argument that proves a system is acceptably safe.  During the development of a safety case, we analyse the risks to the system, its users, the bystanders and the environment. The strong link with Human Factors is through the need to predict the probability of human error, the cause of so many accidents.

Human error prediction encapsulates the ability to predict when and where in a system an error may arise.  What the likelihood of any error may be, and potentially the reasons for the error occurring.

A safety case is a useful tool in developing an environment that safeguards both employees and general bystanders.

Display Screen Equipment

Using computers is an essential part of many employees’ daily duties.  An incorrect workstation set up can lead to discomfort, low productivity and even injury.  As many workers spent increasing hours sat behind a screen, ensuring their workstation supports them is of utmost importance.  DSE assessments tailor an individual’s workspace to their specific anthropometry and physical demands, resulting in an increase in both comfort and support. 

Each DSE assessment is specific to the employee and adapts their workspace to their individual requirements.  This process is efficient and productive and should form a fundamental component of any company induction.  DSE assessments must be carried out by suitably informed personnel and here at InterAction of Bath we possess such knowledge. 

Perhaps an employee is suffering from a specific limitation or injury and the designated assessor does not know how to react to such an instance, InterAction of Bath can help.  InterAction of Bath has multiple years of experience in this field and provide thorough and comprehensive assistance to any employee’s needs. 

We provide the following:

• Detailed and competitively priced assessments of computer workstations against the 1992 Regulations, ISO9241 or any other client-specified DSE standards
• Clear reporting of any shortcomings in workstation design
• Cost-effective recommendations that take account of the user’s circumstances – for example, pre-existing musculoskeletal injuries or the exact nature of the tasks being performed
• Short notice call-out
• Training courses in DSE assessment methods
• Software products for DSE self-assessment

Expert Witness

When prevention hasn't succeeded, we also provide expert witness in ergonomics to legal cases.  This can include identifying the ergonomic issues behind work-related injuries and assessing the employer's Risk Management System.  Over the years, we have supplied ergonomics analysis to many legal cases, acting mainly for the Claimant.  However, we are also experienced in working in a single joint expert role.  Our legal reports conform with the Crown Procedure Rules, and we are on the UK expert witness register