Successes in Implementing PHAs and II/RCA at a Steel Plant (HADEED) in Saudi Arabia

HADEED, the steel making affiliate of SABIC, began implementing a multiple phase approach for major capital projects 8 years ago. For complex processes, such as direct iron reduction, 4 sequential PHAs throughout the project have been required, including a PHA of the operating procedures before commissioning. For simpler processes, such as rolling mills for rod and sheet and plate, 2 to 3 PHAs have been required. This paper describes the approach and successes since 2004 achieved by HADEED using this approach, including discussing the gains in startup efficiency and operational cost savings (particularly DR-E startup) that more than pay for the PHA efforts during the project. In addition, this paper illustrates a parallel implementation program to (1) improve the reporting of near misses and (2) improve the methodology and quality of Incident Investigations (Root Cause Analyses), II/RCA. The emphasis on II/RCA is to achieve a core staff of senior root cause analysts who can then coach a broader group of root cause analyst to handle the bigger load of incidents being reported at HADEED.