In this article, the author will discuss the elements that go into a high quality process hazard analysis (PHA). Specific suggestions for performing a high quality PHA will be presented and discussed. The author will show that it is possible to adhere faithfully to the legal requirements in performing a PHA and still produce a poor quality PHA. It is only through continued focus on the basic principle underlying the performance of a PHA (i.e., the prevention of potential future incidents) in every aspect of the PHA's performance that a high quality PHA will result. When management realizes that they can expend valuable resources in the effort to perform either a poor quality PHA (i.e., just what the law requires) or a high quality PHA, the author is confident that focus will shift to a demand for high quality performance. In this article, we will discuss the elements that go into the performance of a PHA. It is through a better understanding of the application of these elements that PHA team leaders can infer the existence of a high quality PHA. (C) 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog 29: 113-117, 2010