Public engineering firm profile
Las Cruces, NM
We Simplify Safety
WHA International, Inc. is a specialized engineering practice providing safety consulting, failure analysis, hazard analysis, materials testing, technical training, and precision cleaning for oxygen, hydrogen, and other hazardous fluids and pressure systems. Founded in 1987 by engineers who transitioned specialized oxygen expertise from NASA to the commercial sector, WHA International, Inc. serves clients globally across aerospace, healthcare, chemicals, energy, and industrial gas markets. Its technical experts actively contribute to and author international standards through organizations such as ASTM, CGA, EIGA, NFPA, NASA, SAE, and ISO.
Provides data-driven root cause investigation of incidents involving oxygen, hydrogen, and other hazardous fluids or pressure systems. Technical teams reconstruct fire and explosion events to determine failure mechanisms and prevent future recurrences.
Evaluates and mitigates fire, explosion, and pressure-related risks before incidents occur. The team helps clients design and operate process systems safely using structured, risk-based methodologies.
Determines the compatibility, durability, and safety of materials and components operating in oxidizer and high-pressure environments. Laboratory capabilities support product qualification and safety compliance.
Equips industry professionals with specialized safety knowledge through virtual and in-person courses. Programs cover standard operating procedures, hazard identification, and industry best practices.
Removes combustible contaminants from critical components to prevent ignition in high-purity environments. The laboratory offers full verification services and consults on cleanroom process optimization.
2013 | Metals
Investigation of an industrial oxygen fire that occurred in 2013, destroying a new oxygen supply system feeding an electric arc furnace. Forensic analysis determined the root cause of the ignition to improve future system safety.
View project sourceChief Executive Officer & Principal Scientist
PhD
Appointed Chair of ASTM Committee G04 on Oxygen Safety in 2026. Leads the management team and specializes in oxygen and hydrogen safety standards.
Chairman of the Board & Senior Principal Engineer
PE
Co-founded the practice to bring specialized oxygen expertise from NASA to the commercial sector, focusing on failure and hazard analysis.
Chief Strategy Officer & Principal Engineer
PE
Leads technical training and hazard analysis services, helping companies worldwide design and operate safe gas systems.
Principal Engineer & Hydrogen Services Lead
PhD
Directs hydrogen safety consulting, hazard assessments, and combustion risk analyses for energy production and storage clients.
article | 2026
View publicationarticle | 2026
View publicationWHA has always provided professional, best-in-class support and quick response. Their insight has been a valuable resource in optimizing our products for oxygen service. WHA has played an important part in the development of our internal oxygen culture. This culture has allowed us to provide world class equipment to the industries we serve.
WHA helped us with every facet of compliance to a new important safety standard [EN 15001]. We found WHA staff to be knowledgeable, organized, and balanced in their approach and results, and we couldn't have met this standard in the required time frame across several manufacturing sites without their help.
WHA International is our primary source for technical answers from experts who have done years of failure investigations.
WHA is well-regarded within the compressed gas industry worldwide and are a 'go to' company for oxidizer gas expertise and testing.
The WHA team provides valuable support to Essex Industries in our development of safe oxygen equipment.
In my career in the gases industry, when working in the fields of incident investigation and subsequent design improvement, I always found WHA both knowledgeable and innovative. The inquiring mind-set of WHA people and their facilities are leading edge and biased towards experiment and investigation, as well as being capable of ensuring product compliance with standards.
Barry Newton and his team at WHA are not only dedicated scientists, but also first-class forensic investigators. They take on the most difficult projects and work through them with the requisite scientific rigor to make their opinions virtually unassailable.