AN INTRODUCTION

TO THE SHELL MODEL

Discover what it is and
how it can help your business

YOU
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 3

SOFTWARE 4

HARDWARE 5

ENVIRONMENT 6

LIVEWARE 7

SUMMARY 8

www.ihf.co.uk
+44 131 220 9394
INTRODUCTION
In this short ebook we’re going to give you an introduction to the SHELL
model which is widely used in Human Factors.

The SHELL model was first developed in 1972 and later built upon in
the mid 1980s into the framework we’ll take you through in the following
pages.

The history of the model lies in the aviation sector but it’s been adopted
as a useful Human Factors tool that is widely used across many other
industry types today such as oil & gas, healthcare, transport and finance.

The first part of the SHELL model looks at Software.

YOU

www.ihf.co.uk
+44 131 220 9394 3
SOFTWARE
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY SOFTWARE?
Software isn’t just computer programs - it’s procedures, checklists and Before you know it, multiple versions of the same procedure have been
symbology. ‘black booked’. This means the business has no control over what’s going
on and there’s no accountability amongst staff because the company
Even the most basic signs can end up being confusing as in the example hasn’t supplied software that’s fit for purpose.
below.
Doing things the wrong way can cause accidents. This could even result
Being buried under huge amounts of text makes it impossible for users in the oil platform you are working on being shutdown at great expense.
to follow procedures correctly. And that’s when procedures can start to go
underground. Worst case, you or a colleague could die as a result of a catastrophic
mistake.
Someone jots down their own guidelines to follow, then someone else
does, and a few more too because the official procedure just doesn’t Processes and procedures that have been developed in conjunction with
make sense. the end users, rather than for them by someone else, engenders buy-in,
clarity and relevancy.

Just because things have been done a certain way for years, doesn’t
mean that’s the right way or the best way.

Software should always have people at its heart.

The next stage of the shell model is Hardware.

www.ihf.co.uk
+44 131 220 9394 4
HARDWARE

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY HARDWARE?

Hardware is any physical thing you interact with. For example, hardware
could be a spanner, a cockpit or the switches in a control room.

When any hardware related components are engineered without the end
user in mind, you’ve got problems. The levers had different textures, but pilots wear gloves and couldn’t
Hardware that’s not fit for purpose can result in a number of human easily distinguish between the two. During a demanding training sortie,
factors issues such as: one pilot inadvertently shut down his engine in mid-flight because he
operated the wrong lever.
•  Stress and fatigue
This is an extreme example, but similar hardware issues manifest
•  Difficulty operating equipment themselves in all industries.

•  Lack of attention Hardware, where the design does not adequately consider the end user,
is going to negatively impact the operator day in, day out.
•  Poor concentration
The best way to avoid this situation is to get the end users involved in the
There’s an old saying “a bad workman blames his tools” but in many design process from start to finish so the hardware does what it should
cases, it really is the tools at fault. and facilitates successful end user operation.
This is a true story: A military aircraft was designed with the flap lever People need the right tools for the job. Full stop.
and the engine shut-off lever right next to each other and these were out
of sight of the pilot while he was flying. Next up is the Environment.

www.ihf.co.uk
+44 131 220 9394 5
ENVIRONMENT

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY ENVIRONMENT?

The environment can be natural elements such as the weather, A stressed out employee is not a productive one. If there’s a problem,
temperature and visibility and can also include man-made things such as make sure you speak up about it. The only way someone can come up
confined spaces, noise and lighting. with a solution to make the environment better for everyone, is if they
know about the issue in the first place.
In some cases, the working environment may be a combination of
natural and man-made elements. Too much fatigue and stress results in accidents. Half the battle in
dealing with environmental factors is being aware of the problem. So,
Many environmental conditions result in various human factors issues what can you do?
such as fatigue, stress, lack of attention and poor concentration.These
individual elements all have a negative impact on the person doing the Take time to THINK about your environment such as the temperature,
job. lighting and noise levels.

For example, did you know you’re twice as likely to make a mistake on Simple remedies for this could be air conditioning and blackout blinds for
your 4th night shift in a row than someone who’s on their 4th consecutive your accommodation and starting a buddy-buddy system. That way you
day shift? can keep an eye on how environmental factors are affecting a colleague’s
mood and performance - and they can do the same for you.

Remember, awareness of your environment is critical to putting things

right.

The two L’s in the SHELL model are Liveware and Central Liveware.

www.ihf.co.uk
+44 131 220 9394 6
LIVEWARE

SO WHAT IS LIVEWARE?
You are central liveware. And liveware is simply other humans such as Well intentioned communication can very easily miss the mark. Two
the colleagues, customers and suppliers you interact with at work. different people can interpret exactly the same instructions in a different
way.
Liveware covers all methods of human interaction, not just face to face -
for example radio, email etc. The Two Ronnie’s sketch about four candles and fork handles is a great
example of this. That may have been a staged humorous example, but
You may remember the famous incident where a US warship radioed a these kinds of misunderstandings can occur all too easily.
lighthouse keeper.
When people from different cultures are working together, confusion can
“We are a US Warship and you’re in our way, please move immediately.” easily arise and serious accidents/incidents may happen as a result.
“But I am a lighthouse!” But who’s really to blame?

Ineffective leadership often manifests itself as not listening to the

problem.The problem itself is the most important thing, not the status or
the rank of the person who identified and reported it.

Think about the bigger picture. Beware of the context and situation
people find themselves in.

You’re a better leader if you listen and act accordingly.

Liveware is too important to be ignored.

www.ihf.co.uk
+44 131 220 9394 7
SUMMARY
The SHELL model is a well known framework in Human Factors which By putting the individual (Liveware), at the heart of everything that goes
helps with the identification of issues within working environments and on within an organisation, the SHELL model will highlight areas for
in high-risk industries such as oil & gas. Utilising the SHELL model can improvement throughout.
help save people’s lives and save businesses money. If you have any questions about the SHELL model or Human Factors in
general, we’d love to hear from you.

YOU

www.ihf.co.uk
+44 131 220 9394 8
www.ihf.co.uk | +44 131 220 9394 | www.twitter.com/ IntHumanFactors | www.linkedin.com/company/ihf | plus.google.com/+IhfCoUk