NBSIR 75-976

Standards and Measurement

Capabilities in the Kingdom of

Saudi Arabia

Dr. A. Allan Bates

Spring 1975

Final Report

Personal Report Concerning Consultation to the

Governments of the United States of America and the

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Prepared for U.S. -Saudi Arabian Joint Working Group on Industrialization

of U.S.-Saudi Arabia Joint Commission

(Under Auspices of the Office of international Relations,

National Bureau of Standards)

NBSIR 75-976

STANDARDS AND MEASUREMENT

CAPABILITIES IN THE KINGDOM OF

SAUDI ARABIA

Dr. A. Allan Bates

Spring 1975

Final Report

Personal Report Concerning Consultation to the

Governments of the United States of America and the

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Prepared for U.S. -Saudi Arabian Joint Working Group on Industrialization

of U.S. -Saudi Arabia Joint Commission

(Under Auspices of the Office of International Relations,

National Bureau of Standards)

"»r»u of *

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, Rogers C.B. Morton, Secretary

James A. Baker, III, Under Secretary

Dr. Betsy Ancker-Johnson, Assistant Secretary for Science and Technology

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS. Ernest Ambler. Acting Director

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Introduction 1

Standardization 1

The Building of a National Institution 2

The Problems (A Discussion of Origins) 3

SASO is a Law-making Body 7

Field Observations, Plant and Laboratory Visits 8

Basic Conclusions 16

Recommendations, With Explanatory Notes 17

Acknowledgements 22

Appendix 24

i

STANDARDS AND MEASUREMENT CAPABILITIES

IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA

Personal Report by Dr, A. Allan Bates

Concerning Consultation to the Governments of the United States of America

and the

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Spring 1975)

Introduction

This report will describe a series of visits and conferences with U.S.

Embassy officials, Saudi Arabian Government and standards officials,

industries, testing and control laboratories, building and

construction operations etc. I will discuss and analyze existing

problems and will make recommendations looking toward an efficient

system of industrial and engineering standards and building codes for

national use with harmonization where possible with existing and

prospective regional and international standards. Recommendations

will also deal with organization of national standardization offices

and programs and with laboratory and inspection services needed.

Standardization

Standardization as a generic procedure involves a spectrum of related

activities with loosely defined boundaries, widely misunderstood

objectives and pervasive consequences. A standard is usually couched

in technical terminology. But the ultimate uses and purposes of a standard are almost always economic, social, cultural, and political.

Certainly, anyone who has worked much in the field of building codes

knows that they are eminently political documents. The writing of

standards -does indeed require wide technological expertise; but a good

set of standards will never be written by technical expertise alone.

Any standard , to be useful , must be formulated , promulgated , applied

and enforced within the limitations of the economic , social , cultural

and political framework wherein it will be adopted .

Therefore an effective national standards organization must possess

within its own personnel or within the body of its available advisors

and associates not only the technical expertise but also adequate

experience and competence in the economic, sociological, managerial,

cultural and political aspects and consequences of its work so that it

may predict what effects it will have on the life of the nation. This

is most emphatically true when the national standards organization is

given legal power to make its standards mandatory on the nation, as is

the case with SASO, the Saudi Arabian Standards Organization.
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A typical American or European building code comprises hundreds of

everchanging, intricately inter-related standards embedded in a matrix

composed of more hundreds of administrative rules, regulatory

requirements, definitive classifications and special circumstantial

appendices. So luxuriant an organism, nurtured through decades of

scientific fertilization and technological cross-breeding in America

or Europe cannot be transplanted directly to the soil of Saudi Arabia

without drastic pruning and years of re-acclimatization in its new

habitat.

The development and use of a building code involves the most complex

and difficult of all standardization operations. The city of Los

Angeles alone has over five thousand trained building inspectors

trying to enforce the building code of that one city. So far as I could find out there is not a building inspector in all of Saudi

Arabia, although doubtless there are individuals there who have the

qualifications to become inspectors after they have received some

months of intensive instruction and training.

Saudi Arabia has embarked on a five-year program of industrial

development. As of this writing the details of the program have not

been announced officially. It has, however, been reported in public

print by economics writers of acceptable authority that, during the

five years, capital spending of over one hundred forty billion dollars

will be involved.

As of the time of my sojourn with SASO (February-March 1975), that

organization had apparently been given little or no advance

information concerning the elements of the five-year plan. Yet it is

obvious that such information is necessary if SASO is to plan its own program of standards production most effectively. American or other

foreign advisors to SASO must also be thoroughly familiar with the

contents and the projected timing of all parts of the program. A

national sys tem of standards, such as SASO is expected to produce,

must be composed of a completely inter-dependent and coordinated array

of individual standards. The standards mandatorily imposed upon or voluntarily adopted by Industry X must bear a viable relationship to

the standards used by every other industry which is a supplier to or a purchaser from Industry X.

The Building of a National Institution

Standards are a modern medium through which certain fundamental

interests of governments, industries, communities, and individual

citizens are coordinated and advanced for the common benefit of all.

In an industrialized society it may well be that the national set - or system - of standards by which that society lives and does its work is
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no less Important in shaping the society than are its laws. Often, of

course, the standards and the laws are one and the same.

The organization or institution which develops the nation's system of

standards must have deep roots in every stratum of the nation's

economic structure. It must be aot merely in contact with but

actually an integral part of governments (national and local), of

industries, of communities, and of the consuming groups of the

individual citizenry.

The Saudi Arabian Standards Organization is too young to have become a truly national institution in the broad sense described above. This,

however, is now its most important task. It will not be accomplished

easily or quickly. In any country national institution building must

take place with due regard to national customs and concepts. But in

every nation, however authoritarian like the Soviet Union or nonauthoritarian like the United States, the national standards

organization must be a living, vital organ of society recognized as necessary and beneficial to the life and welfare of all.

For SASO such institution building will require constructive

originality, flexibility and persistence of a high order to be

effective in the unique economic context of Saudi Arabia today.

In my recommendations I will suggest limited steps toward this long

range objective. I shall also make recommendations for short range

progress which will lead toward accomplishment of the longer range

purpose.

The Problems (A Discussion of Origins)

Historically, standardization arose as a result of industrialization

and was, therefore, preceded by industrialization. The few important

exceptions to this course of events have involved highly special cases

of recent origin. In Saudi Arabia this "natural history" of

standardization will be largely reversed. From this reversal come

many of Saudi Arabian Standards Organizations most difficult problems.

Standards are not produced by the directors, managers, technical staff

or other employees of standards organizations. The large numbers of

men and women who work in the offices of the American Society for

Testing and Materials (ASTM) do not produce the thousands of standards

which ASTM publishes. The staff of the American National Standards

Institute (ANSI) produces no standards. Neither are standards

produced by the British Standards Institution (BSI), the Association

Francaise de Normalization (AFNOR) , the Deutscher Normenausschuss

(DNA) nor even by the Standards Committee of the Council of Ministers

of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (GOST)

.
- 4 -

To cite a specific illustrative example which has a direct bearing on

the work of SASO, the Committee on Cement (C-l) of ASTM has over a hundred and fifty members. I am one of those members who compose over twenty-five subcommittees of C-l each of which is responsible for some aspect of the standardization of Portland cements. The majority of

the members of Committee (C-l) on Cement are representatives of

industries which either consume or produce cement. They are greatly

assisted by representatives from universities, engineering schools,

government agencies, research institutes, etc. Almost every member of

Committee (C-l) on Cement has access to a research or control

laboratory which will carry out experiments on cement at the member's

request or order. It takes about two years on the average for

Committee C-l to produce a standard. Occasionally this period has

been extended to four or more years. In contrast, SASO has two men

working on cement standardization with very little help from industry

or anyone else apparently and they were expected to produce several

standards in approximately a year!

The point I am making most emphatically is that industrial standards

can be produced only with a great deal of coordinated work by

industries and their appointed representatives. This is true not only

in America but in Britain (BSI), France (AFNOR), Germany (DNA) , and

even in the Soviet Union (GOST). I know and have worked with all of

these standards organizations and many others. It is of special

interest that the Soviet Standards Committee which also produces

mandatory national standards, as does SASO, depends very heavily on

the expertise drawn from Soviet industries.

I have dwelt at length on standardization of Portland cement (and will

return to it later) because it is one of only two products produced in

Saudi Arabia by manufacturing industries operating on a massive scale

to meet a vital consumer need. The other product, of course, is oil.

It may be further said with some reason that there are only two nonservice industries of notable size in Saudi Arabia: (1) petroleum and

(2) construction. And, in nearly all Saudi building and construction

of much consequence Portland cement is the vital ingredient. It is

therefore the most important industrial product on which SASO can gain

procedural experience.

In order to lay the groundwork for a basic recommendation which I shall make later, I shall go on here to cite further statistics

relating to the standardization work of ASTM. Since Portland cement

is essentially just an adhesive used to bind other materials together,

it will be instructive, relative to SASO's interests, to pursue the

question of these other materials and products which combine with

cement and note how they (as materials and as products) are standardized. Much the most important of these materials are sands

and gravels of which Saudi Arabia has native supplies perhaps in
- 5 -

superabundance. When combined properly with cement the products are called "concrete", and there is a variety of standardized engineering

concretes. Committee C-9 on Concrete of ASTM has about two hundred

and twenty- five members working on over thirty subcommittees.

Certain members of Committee C-l on Cement, like myself, are also

members of C-9. The purpose of this dual membership is to assure that

the standards of the two committees shall be compatible and suitably

coordinated. There are also ASTM committees on asbestos-cement

products, on concrete pipe, on mortars for concrete masonry, on concrete aggregates etc. Each of these committees has appropriate

liaison with the others through dual membership, as between C-l and C9. The committee A-l on Steels has over four hundred members, the

Committee D-2 on Petroleum Products over three hundred, the Committee

D-13 on Textiles about four hundred and fifty, the Committee D-20 on Plastics about four hundred and fifty, etc.

As is the case with Committee C-l on Cement, the majority of these

many thousands of ASTM standards committee members are provided by

industries which have the technical expertise and the economic

experience (production costs, customers' technical requirements,

competitive price ranges, etc.) which are absolutely necessary for

producing a useful system of standards.

As a former president of ASTM, I made a brief study and estimate some years ago of the man-hours and the dollars which went annually into

the production of ASTM standards. The hours added up to millions and

the dollars to tens of millions.

It is self-evident that Saudi Arabia will not possess for many years

to come any such pool of industrial and engineering experience to be

drawn upon (by SASO) for purposes of developing standards. This

brings me to my first recommendation which is so obvious as to seem almost superfluous. The experience which Saudi Arabia (and SASO) does

not have, and cannot have in the near future, does exist and has for

years been effectively organized to produce standards in the United

States and other countries. The standards and codes thus already

formulated are available to SASO for immediate adoption and

promulgation. This, of course, is exactly what SASO has been

attempting to do in an extremely cautious way since it was organized

in 1972. The ultra-cautious and diffident attitude of SASO to its

work is entirely understandable but is not, in my opinion, justified

or tenable. If Saudi Arabia is going to establish a hundred billion

dollar industrial complex in the next few years, it must have an appropriate system of industrial standards very soon . SASO is the

only implement available by which to produce that system. Knowing

that, however inadequate are the conditions under which it must

labor, its standards are nevertheless vital to the Kingdom, SASO

should proceed boldly to adopt from existing sources a considerable
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number of basic industrial standards. These it should promulgate as "Tentative SASO Standards," a title and a procedure which I shall

explain later as one of my recommendations.

No standard is ever final. Developing technology or changing economic

conditions will always require constant re-examination of every

standard. ASTM Committee C-l on Cement wrote its first standard on Portland cement seventy years ago and has been modifying and

elaborating it ever since. Such is the experience of all

standardization organizations.

Saudi Arabia is in the beginning stages of national industrial

revolution. The course of a standard in such a period is like the

flight of a falcon in a desert windstorm. Industrial and economic

turbulence of exceptional intensity must be expected during the next

decade of the nations development program.

The developing nations which currently occupy so much of the world's

attention are, almost by definition, nations which exhibit a shortage

of capital combined with an accumulation of available labor. Saudi

Arabia is the one notable exception; with its huge excess of

capital and its unparalleled shortage of labor, this country is a phenomenon unique in world economic history. Furthermore this

unprecedented phenomenon burst upon the economic world almost

overnight and without effective warning - as result, not of normally

predictable natural discoveries or scientific developments, but as the

outcome of a commercial decision. These facts are, of course, all

well known but, what is appreciated by very few, is that they confront

SASO with an array of standardization problems never before

encountered in the history of industrial standardization.

SASO stands alone - almost completely without the extensive industrial

participation, the scientific research facilities, the practical

economic experience, the supporting national body of professional

engineers or an adequate system of Saudi universities and technical

institutes to draw upon, all of which the great standardization

organizations of other nations depend upon and without which they

could not function. In an operational sense SASO in these early years

of its existence must be a self-made institution working according to

self-determined unprecedented modes of procedure. Inevitably SASO

will make some mistakes. Standardization is not an exact science,

especially in the dynamic realm of modern industry. Even the oldest

and most experienced standards organizations make mistakes and have

established methods for rectifying them such as Boards of Appeal, etc.

I shall discuss these later in connection with "consensus standards."
- 7 -

SASO is a Lav-making Body

The standards which SASO produces and causes to be published become

mandatory in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This is an extremely grave

responsibility to place on the shoulders of so young, so small, and so inexperienced an organization. Although the responsibility simplifies

SASO's work in a certain sense, it also makes the work much more

difficult by imposing a heavy psychological burden. It is somewhat

like placing a young and inexperienced man in the position of General

Manager of a new, complicated industrial plant which is seriously

short of trained workers and telling him: "you are going to be held

responsible for making this plant fully productive very quickly and

since all your orders will be final and decisive, you must always be

right."

The Constitution of SASO is contained in Royal Decree No. M/10 dated

3-3-1392 H (which corresponds with 16 April 1972). The wording is as follows : ....

"ARTICLE FIVE. Compliance with (SASO) standards is mandatory. By

(SASO) Board of Directors' decision, certain specific national

standards or classes of national standards may be voluntarily complied

with. . .

"ARTICLE SIX. All ministries, independent agencies, and governmental

organizations shall adopt the (SASO) mandatory national standards as a basis for their purchase specifications and for all their activities."

It Is interesting that the Decree does permit the SASO Board of

Directors to make certain exceptions to the absolutely mandatory

aspect of SASO standards - but not in the case of use by government

agencies. The Board must use its powers of exception sparingly if it

is to avoid creating some costly and disruptive confusion. I shall

discuss this later. Nevertheless the Board's power of exception is a wise and helpful provision.

In emphasizing the gravity of the mandatory, legally enforceable

character of SASO's standards and the problems which that may create,

I do not imply that some other standardization system would be better.

At this time I do not believe that any alternative would be

practicable in the Saudi Kingdom.

In this section of my report, I have dealt in general terms with

certain elements of the current national situation in the Kingdom

which have the effect of complicating or impeding SASO's productivity.

The specific problems which originate in this combination of

situational elements will require unusual or unique solutions. As

industrialization of the Kingdom progresses, both problems and
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solutions will change. SASO's tactics and procedures will therefore

have to exhibit considerable flexibility. Planned adaptability will

be required.

Field Observations, Plant and Laboratory Visits

The recommendations which I shall make in this report derive largely

from the general circumstances which I have discussed above but are

also affected by particular observations which I made in various

locations as described in this section. It seems in order therefore

to discuss these observations at this point.

A. Building, Construction and Architecture

In the capital city of Riyadh there is a high proportion of public

structures all built basically of Portland cement concrete and

exhibiting interesting architectural variety. The buildings of the

state ministries are particularly prominent, each showing some individualistic design incorporating features of traditional Moslem

architecture. It is fortunate that Portland cement concrete lends

itself with extraordinary versatility and economy to construction of a prominent aspect of Eastern hot-climate architecture, the open, multitiered arcade and colonnade. One mold used over and over again can produce an arcade of great length. The savings in labor and materials

thus achieved can be very large.

I was told that these large public structures are in major part

designed and built under the supervision of foreign contractors who

tend to use the methods and standards of their own respective

countries. Since Article Six of the SASO Constitution declares that

"All ministries. .. .and governmental organizations shall adopt SASO

mandatory standards. .. .etc," it seems that governmental policies and

practices may have to be reviewed when a "National Saudi Arabian

Building Code" is made operative. This should be a matter of study by

SASO.*

Relative to private building and construction, I was informed that

some building regulations had been promulgated a few years ago but

that they had been ineffective and are now generally disregarded.

Another informant said that these regulations are non-existent today.

Still another informant said he did not believe that such regulations

had ever existed. I encountered such disagreement on many subjects

into which I inquired. This difficulty probably arose in part from

language differences, or from my not having addressed my questions to

authoritatively informed persons.

In any case, private building apparently simply follows traditional

patterns subject to only few public regulations or rules. However,

"Note: This recommendation is not explicitly restated in the

section on recommendations.
- 9 -

when one compares construction in the newer parts of the city with

that in the old part, it is evident that some regulation is in effect

in some areas.

Construction practices and building designs are conservative. Highrise buildings are being erected in the cities but are not yet

numerous. They seldom exceed ten or twelve stories in height and

generally consist of a cast-in-place reinforced concrete frame, flatplate floors and masonry fill-in walls both exterior and interior.

The concrete form-work is simple, hand-constructed of re-used timber

and frequently rather crude though fairly sturdy. The masonry walls

may be of ceramic tile or concrete block of rather rough quality. The

entire structure is usually covered with stucco and painted. Stucco

and plaster work, an old art in the Arab World, is well done with many

pleasing variations in form, coloring, and ornamentation.

Lower buildings, even the customary two- or three- story private

dwellings of the upper class are usually constructed in much the same way except for a somewhat more extended use of concrete masonry. All

private dwellings are surrounded by high stuccoed masonry walls, an almost invariable custom in Eastern countries. The quality standards

for the masonry units, if they exist, are not very high. Roofs of all

except a few of the more individualistic institutional buildings are

flat since there is little rain and no snow to shed. Door and window

frames are usually of wood, marble, or steel while sills, stairs,

interior floors, etc., are most frequently some form of terrazzo.

In short, all structural aspects of all non-public buildings and even

of most public ones are so uniform and so conventional that they could

be covered by a rather simple set of building regulations - a starting point for a building code and an area of building technology

in which the training of inspectors would be useful and effective in a fairly short time.

The service facilities, plumbing, heating and cooling, electrical

installations and especially sanitary provisions would probably be

more complicated. Such building supplies are imported from many

countries and are consequently very diverse in dimensions, fittings,

modes of installation, operation, economy, safety aspects, etc.

In Riyadh I watched intermittently for about a week the digging of an excavation for septic use by a large new private home in a residential

quarter. The hole, about three meters square and two meters deep

became about half full of an opaque green water of unpleasant

appearance and odor. This apparently occurred by subterranean seepage

and quite probably involved flow from the septic systems of

surrounding houses. I was told that this is not an uncommon

occurrence. It seems probable that a public health hazard could be
- 10 -

the result. Similarly the condition of many of the city streets

raises health questions. All of Riyadh gives the appearance of a vast

continuous building site in the grip of a construction boom. No

building site is ever of attractive appearance with its confused

clutter of rough construction materials and debris. In Riyadh the

extreme shortage of manpower and equipment causes incredible disorder.

Vacant lots are piled high with construction rubbish to which has been

added huge accumulations of garbage and cast-off wastes of household

and commercial origins. The first step toward effective imposition of

a building code in Riyadh and other Saudi cities must be a wellplanned, arduous, continuous and expensive campaign of public

education in the basic elements of public hygiene. This is probably

made particularly difficult by the movement into the cities of people

from the small towns, villages, and camps of the desert. The intense

desert sunlight is a potent cleanser but it cannot do its hygienic

work in the crowded cities. I have encountered this problem in Sao

Paulo and in Rio de Janeiro, in Caracas and Lima, in Calcutta and

Manila. It is the central social problem in all hot-climate lands

where country people flock into developing cities. The Saudi

officials are aware of it and with the great new Saudi wealth are in a better position to undertake the basic educational effort than are

most governments. It must - I repeat - precede the development and

promulgation of building codes.

B. Industrial Visits

Industrial standardization cannot succeed without the cordial,

continuous and intimate participation of the industries concerned,

both producers and consumers. I use the word "consumer" here to

include industries which utilize or "consume" the products of other

industries, as the construction industry "consumes" cement, steel,

electrical fittings, etc. When, as in Saudi Arabia, a standards

organization (SASO) is required to publish standards for industries

which do not yet exist in Saudi Arabia, provisions must be made for

consulting those industries when they do come into local existence.

The "Tentative Standard" is such a provision as I shall point out

later.

I had planned to visit some representative industrial plants in the

Kingdom. It soon was clear that both the need and the opportunities

for doing this were quite limited. The oil industry and its

satellites are self-contained from the viewpoint of standardization.

The only other large product industry group of current concern is

construction and its associated satellites of which the Portland

cement producers comprise the only large segment. There are three

cement plants in the Kingdom, one in each of the cities of Riyadh,

Jidda, and Dharan-Damman . They are of roughly equal size and
- 11 -

character. I chose to visit first the Riyadh plant of the Yamama

Cement Company and later, if feasible, the plant in Jidda.

Accompanied by Mr. Sami Mirza, Manager of the Construction Standards

Section of SASO, I was graciously received by the General Manager of

Yamama (an Englishman), the Production Manager (a Syrian), and the

Chief Chemist (an Egyptian), all of whom spoke English well. With

these plant officials, I discussed the purposes of my visit and the

manner in which I would like to inspect the plant. (I have spent

countless days in scores of cement plants in dozens of countries).

They agreed without reservation. I will sum up my observations and

conclusions. The plant is of orthodox design (German built) with no exceptional features. The lime rock quarry is very close to the plant

and yields a white limestone low in silica, alumina, and iron. These

components which are necessary in Portland cement, although only in

relatively small quantity, are brought from another quarry a few miles

away. The lime rock looks much like the high-grade cretacious chalks

and limestones used extensively in England and Western Europe for

cement making. Since there is little overburden and the rock is

easily quarried the plant's raw materials costs should be very low.

The only other substance used extensively in making cement is fuel

(oil, gas, or coal) with which the Kingdom is of course uniquely well

and cheaply supplied. The plant's operations, crushing, grinding,

raw-feed mixing, burning , clinker comminution, bagging, storage, etc. are all of customary character. Plant controls are not of the most

modern type but are adequate. Shipping is either by truck or rail,

facilities for both being extended into the plant. A worker's village

(with mosque) lies very near the plant, quite probably on company

property.

The control laboratory is equipped with all necessary sampling,

conditioning and testing facilities - not entirely of latest type but

quite adequate if well maintained. The lab crew, about a half dozen

young men, mostly non-Saudi in appearance probably had subprofessional qualifications - but this is customary. Cement plant

control testing is routine and can be taught to any normally bright

young person under the guidance of a competent chemist - which the

chief chemist of this plant quite certainly is. I did not request

permission to examine the test records (some plant chemists are reluctant to show their records to strangers) so I did not see the

actual history of plant performance.

My first conclusion: The Yamama Cement Company is capable of

producing cements meeting the standards in general use internationally

.

My second conclusion: The officials of the Yamama Cement Company, if

properly and cordially cultivated by SASO can be SASO's most useful
- ,12 -

allies in the development of industrial standards at this time (useful

generally - not just relative to cedent).

In my discussions with the Yanama Cement Company officers, I received

some impressions which are relevant here:

(1) They do not feel that they are given a reasonable voice or influence in SASO's procedures or in the standards which may be

produced which concern them.

(2) They doubt (my deduction - not their statement) that the staff of

SASO as presently constituted has had the intimate and extensive

experience in actual cement production necessary to the development of

cement standards for Saudi Arabia. (I agree but I would add that the

staff of SASO should not be expected to have such experience - they

should utilize the experience of the industry itself.)

(3) They expect the present very great demand for cement in the

Kingdom to grow even greater and they have well-advanced plans to more

than double plant capacity as soon as possible. (It is difficult to see how any foreign cement could compete in the Arabian market if the

Saudi cement companies are well managed.)

C. Laboratory Visits

The "Quality Control Laboratory" in Dharan-Damman . This laboratory is

devoted mainly to analyzing foods and drugs imported through the local

harbor and customs house. One small room of the laboratory, however,

houses a 50,000 pound Avery (English) tensile testing machine used for

quality control of imported steel bars for concrete reinforcement.

The operator has adapted the machine also to do standard bend tests

(ductility) on reinforcing bar. The laboratory also has a steel

hardness tester, penetration type, German made. The operator, a young

Egyptian (speaks English), is obviously competent. The Avery company

calibrates the tensile machine "about once or twice a year" with their own proving rings. The machine gets "a great deal of use" (the

records corroborate this) but "has never gone seriously out of

calibration. 11

I examined all test records of the last six months covering hundreds

of shipments of steel from about twelve countries. There was no case

of failure to meet established standards. Evidently no foreign

producer is dumping sub-standard steel into Saudi Arabia. I have seen

some unbelievably inferior steel dumped into other developing

countries (mostly Latin America). It would be useful if Saudi

Government authorities were to realize that this "dumping" is not

happening in their country probably because it is widely known that
- 13 -

they apply fair and competent testing according to internationally

recognized standards.

This is an appropriate point at which to emphasize that a standard is

only as good as the testing and inspection services by which it is

enforced. This is notably true with regard to building codes.

I was informed that in Jiddah there is a steel inspection laboratory

almost identical with the one in Dharan-Dammam. My plans to visit the

Jiddah laboratory were cancelled by unforeseen circumstances.

Materials Testing Laboratory of the (DPW) Department of Public Works,

Riyadh. A half-day visit to this laboratory was a most encouraging

experience. It is the only generalized physical testing and research

facility in Saudi Arabia capable of providing the necessary technical

support for prospective SASO standards in the broad field of

engineering materials. Such support for SASO is not a prescribed

function of MTL-DPW; nevertheless, all of the test and research work

carried out there is potentially useful to Saudi standardization

progress. An immediate (and somewhat amusing) case of such usefulness

arose in the course of my conversation with Dr. Shams-al-Din (Egyptian

Director of MTL-DPW) . I mentioned to him that the Yamaraa Cement

Company was using a test for cement-mortar strength based upon a British standard which required the use of a certain standard sand

from a precise British source. Yaraama was therefore shipping sand to

Arabia from England! However, MTL has now completed a research

project by which sands from chosen Arabian deposits are equated with,

and therefore substitutable for, the standard British sand. Since for

years to come SASO is necessarily going to derive its standards from

foreign sources and adapt them to Saudi conditions a long series of

similar research projects will be required. Such projects are usually

not difficult but they must be carried out in Saudi Arabia under the

direction of scientifically and technically trained leaders who

understand the differing effects of varying test conditions. A

planned program of such tests should be laid out well in advance of

the promulgation of any series of Saudi standards and SASO must be the

central agency in planning the program. I was assured that the MTLDPW would be available to SASO for laboratory work required in such a program within limits compatible with MTL's other duties and

responsibilities

.

The MTL-DPW has (March 1975) a staff of about 28 scientists (mostly

Egyptian) and 20 technicians. The laboratory is excellently equipped

to carry out test and research work on a wide variety of building

materials.
- 14 -

D. The Saudi Arabian Standards Organization (SASO)

Within a few months after it had been constituted in April 1972, SASO

laid out a program of standards which it intended to produce and

publish by July 1974. It was a large program covering many different

subject areas. In April 1975, SASO's first standard was about to go

into effect. This striking difference between declared program and

actual performance does not, in my opinion, reveal in any meaningful

sense, a failure by SASO. What it indicates most convincingly is that

practical experience in the production of industrial standards was

almost completely lacking in the Saudi Kingdom when SASO was

conceived, authorized, and funded by the Saudi Government.

To have accomplished the 1972-1974 SASO program of standards

production in accordance with the admirable SASO consensus procedures

would have required a staff at least three times as large as the

actual SASO staff of April 1975. Furthermore, not less than half of

this staff would have had to be comprised of professional secretaries,

competent typists, proficient multi-lingual librarians and

translators, and trained file clerks, all of whom are almost

unobtainable in the Kingdom under current circumstances. These

auxiliary service workers comprise the actual operating mechanism of

any consensus standards organization. Highly trained staff of

scientists and engineers provide the guiding intelligence, the public

authority and the administrative direction.

The "Guide to the Procedures of Saudi Standards Preparation" which was

given to me to study sets forth from twenty-five to forty successive

operational steps collectively demanding professional correspondence,

accurate filing and cross-filing, voluminous typing, preparation of

minutes of meetings and a great deal of technical translation, all

required or strongly suggested in the preparation of every SASO

standard. Even if SASO had had the requisite professional and

auxiliary staff to have carried out the proposed 1972-1974 program, my

experience indicates that the present state of postal, telephonic,

telegraphic, and transportation services in the Kingdom would have

seriously impeded SASO success in the effort.

The consensus principle is the working basis of every existing

standards organization. The principle Is sometimes partly disguised

and it is used with varying rigor and in different modes by different

organizations. The purpose of consensus of course, is to achieve

agreement by every concerned party to the substance and the wording of

any standard which may affect the interest of those parties. However,

concerns vary from vital to marginal in character; not all concerns,

therefore, can be accorded equal weight or validity. Hence the

American National Standards Institute (ANSI) describes standards
- 15 -

consensus thus: "Consensus requires much more than a simple majority

but not necessarily unanimity."

Perhaps the most difficult and most sensitive step in the entire field

of standardization by consensus is the determination of the point at

which effective, viable consensus of a character most conducive to

community or national welfare has been achieved. This determination

must be founded upon rigorously impartial judgment which is informed

and tempered by vast experience in the restless world of industry,

commerce, consumer welfare, national economic progress and political

practicality. Such judgment cannot be quickly or easily acquired,

nor, since it is in great demand, is it readily available.

It will be useful, I believe, to describe the manner in which the

American National Standards Institute (ANSI) reaches an acceptable

judicial decision on the point at which appropriate consensus has been

reached on any and every standard. A Board of Standards Review

appointed by the President and the Board of Directors is composed of

fifteen individuals of long and varied experience in standardization.

The Board operates as follows: "The members of the Board of Standards

Review (BSR) shall be appointed to serve as individuals, not as members or representatives of an organization. Their competence and

ability to render impartial judgment in the approval or withdrawal of

American National Standards shall be the major criteria for

appointment." Also: "Approval of a proposed standard as an American

National Standard is the judicial determination that a consensus

exists of those substantially concerned with the scope and provisions

of the proposed standard." (From the "Operating Procedures of the

Board* of Standards Review. ")

The BSR is served by a special staff of highly competent technical

secretaries who provide the Board with a complete annotated history of

every standard which is proposed for ANSI acceptance as a National

Standard. The BSR meets about eight times a year at ANSI headquarters

in New York. At about half of these meetings it hears an appeal

against a previous Board decision on a standard on which the Board has

already taken action. These appeal sessions are announced well in

advance and any concerned organization may attend and present its

arguments on a case under consideration. After the BSR has made its

judicial decision on an appealed case still another and final appeal

may be made to the ANSI Board of Directors for a reversal of the BSR

decision. In the five years during which I have been a member of BSR none of its judgments has been reversed even though some very powerful

organizations have made appeals.

I have discussed the ANSI Board of Standards Review at some length in

order to emphasize the very important fact that any standards
- 16 -

organization which operates on the consensus principle (as SASO

attempts to do) must eventually realize that the merits, the

usefulness and the acceptability of any standard are found quite as much in the fairness and the equitability of the standard as in its

technical quality. The Board of Standards Review never examines the

technical merit of a standard. It considers only the judicial aspects

of the procedures by which the standard has been developed.

It is doubtful that there could be found in the Saudi Kingdom today a group of individuals with sufficient experience in industrial

standardization to form a "court of appeal" such as the ANSI Board of

Standards Review. There is some Intimation in the SASO "Guide to the

Procedures of Saudi Standards Preparation," that the SASO Board of

Directors might act in that capacity. In view of the mandatory (lawmaking) powers of SASO this may not seem inappropriate and may be

inevitable. However, the complete dominance of the Board by

ministries of the national Government makes such use of the Board

incompatible with consensus standardization in a free enterprise

industrial society such as Saudi Arabia is vigorously attempting to

establish.

The "Guide to Procedures, Formulation and Editing of Saudi Standards"

has a number of clauses and phrases (English version) which permit

elimination or evasion of various procedural steps at the discretion

of the SASO staff. For example, on Page 1 of the Guide Is written:

"One or more of these procedures may be overstepped according to the

type of the standard." In other cases a procedural step is ordered"if

necessary...." or "if there is a need to...." Such confidence in

staff discretion is good managerial psychology but it does leave • anyone outside of the staff (such as myself or other foreign advisor)

confused and uncertain in his attempts to evaluate SASO practices.

Basic Conclusions

(1) The Saudi Arabian Standards Organization is working under

extremely difficult circumstances, which put severe limits on the

Organization* s productivity.

(2) The Organization is encountering unique problems for which there

is no close precedent in the history of standardization.

(3) The problems are grouped roughly according to two different time

scales

:

(a) Short-range problems (3 months to 18 months)

(b) Long-range problems (1 year to 5+ years)
- 17 -

The short range problems result in large part from the speed with

which the Saudi Kingdom is becoming transformed into an urbanindustrial state. The educational system is totally unprepared to

meet the demands of such a transformation. Education is not a commodity which can be bought at a quick bargain sale. Excepting

petroleum and mineral engineers , probably no more than a hundred welltrained engineers a year, now or in the next few years, can be

developed in Saudi Arabia. SASO plans cannot anticipate more than a share in the severely limited available Saudi resources in welltrained engineers.

(4) The SASO operating procedures for development of industrial

standards, while admirable in principle, are designed for a long^

established, well-staffed standards organization working within a nation of advanced industrial experience and capacity. The SASO

procedures are therefore not practicable at this time in Saudi Arabia.

Recommendations, with Explanatory Notes

A. Short Range

1. SASO should immediately prepare and operate according to a set

of "Interim Procedures" which lead to the issuance of "Tentative

Standards" for immediate use in the Kingdom.

Explanation : The "Tentative Standard" is a device which has been used

by many competent standards organizations. ASTM has employed it for

many years. A "Tentative Standard" is not to be regarded as an incomplete or inferior standard. In its technical aspects it is as complete and as sound as any nontentative standard; but is issued for

use in a situation wherein lack of experience suggests that currently

unknown and unpredictable factors or difficulties may arise from its

use. If, after one or two years, no such difficulties appear, the

"Tentative" is then re-published as a regular standard. In view of

the Saudi situation, where industrial experience is so generally

lacking the Tentative Standard should be particularly useful. Whether

a "Tentative" should be made immediately mandatory or after a period

of say, a year would be a matter for judgment. In any case, all

parties concerned with or affected by the "Tentative" must understand

its nature and must keep adequate records concerning their experiences

in its use.

The "Interim Procedures" to be immediately used in SASO operations

must be greatly simplified as compared with the Procedures described

in the present SASO "Guide to the Procedures of Saudi Standards

Preparation." The latter should not now be changed but should remain

in use where the case justifies them. When any standard is published

by SASO it should be made clear whether it has been developed by

Interim or by Regular Procedures.
- 18 -

The "Interim Procedures" should be such as to permit SASO to adopt

immediately and with a minimum of consultation with other

organizations any standard of such reputable origins and of such wide

use as to guarantee its excellence. As example, the ASTM standards

for Portland cement have enjoyed that status for nearly three quarters

of a century. Those standards could immediately be declared as official "Tentative Standards" in the Saudi Kingdom without fear of

unfortunate results. By the same method many other standards could be

quickly taken from sources such as ANSI, BSI, IEC, ISO, etc., solving

SASO's most pressing short-range problem which is to produce a significant number of important standards within the next few months.

To accomplish this SASO may require the services of a small number of

standards experts from heavily industrialized countries during the

next 3-to-18 months. I would so advise but I believe it should be a matter for SASO's decision after they have considered this

recommendation for Interim Procedures and Tentative Standards. The

Egyptian technical experts who were with SASO when I was there are excellent men but they were too few in number, too narrow,

collectively, in industrial experience and insufficiently supported by

auxiliary service personnel to be really effective in carrying out

this Recommendation.

2. SASO should take no action and spend no time or effort on the

subject of Building Codes during the remainder of the year 1975 unless

specifically requested in writing to do so by one or more of the

ministries directly engaged in building and construction or in nublic

health and safety.

Explanation : The subject of Building Codes and Regulations is in a highly confused state in the Kingdom. From my many conversations on

the matter and from reports which I have seen it is evident that

committees have been organized and work has been done relating to

building regulations in fairly recent years. Little or nothing seems

to have resulted from these efforts. I am convinced that nothing

effective can be done until a forceful Government campaign of national

education on public hygiene and safety has been carried out. Until

that has been done I believe that any attempt to enforce a building

code will appear unfair and ridiculous to the better educated Saudi

citizens. A building code is complex law aimed primarily at

protecting public safety and public health. It may contain or refer

to more than a hundred individual standards and when the time comes to

develop a code SASO will be called upon to provide those standards.

It will do so by direct adoption of standards already existine

However, until the Saudi Government and the Saudi people are educated

to realize the need for building codes SASO can do nothing very useful

about them. SASO at this time has much more important and urgent work

to do.
, 19 -

B. Long Range

1. SASO should as soon as possible invite and urge the companies

which comprise the Portland cement industry in Saudi Arabia to form

the nucleus of a "Standing SASO Committee on Portland Cement

Standards" under SASO sponsorship, with the understanding that major

and responsible consumers of cement are cordially welcome also to

membership on the Committee.

Explanation ; The Saudi Portland cement industry offers an ideal

opportunity for SASO to improve and practice its consensus procedures

so that SASO can become a productive body far into the long range

industrial future which the Kingdom is planning.

The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) consists of a staff of about two hundred and fifty employees and approximately

seventeen thousand members. The members are grouped into many

hundreds of technical committees for the purpose of writing standards.

The members are the voting representatives of all the producers,

consumers, government agencies, universities, research institutes

etc., who have a responsible interest in standards. These members, in

their technical committees, produce all of the thousands of AST?!

standards. The staff employees of ASTM provide all the secretarial

and office services required by the technical committees but these

employees produce no standards . Every technical committee is a standing (that is, permanent) committee and meets at least once a year

(usually twice a year) in some city in the United States or Canada.

At each meeting of every committee a staff employee of ASTM is present

to act as secretary and to interpret any ASTM rules of procedure about

which questions may arise. ASTM originated this Society structure in

about the year 1898 and it has become the basic pattern followed in

its essential features by every major standards organization in the

world. The technical committees of ASTM include nearly two thousand

representatives from approximately one hundred foreign countries (the

actual figures vary, of course, from year to year and I make no attempt to keep accurately informed about them) . I am convinced that

ASTM is the most instructive standards organization in the world of

which SASO could become a member and I urge SASO to do so at an early

date.

Each of the three Portland cement companies of Saudi Arabia is in

position to take a strong and useful part in a SASO Technical

Committee on Portland Cement. Each has the necessary qualifications

which are:
a. a capable engineering and technical staff

b. a vital interest in industrial standardization

c. a control laboratory capable of maintaining

product quality

d. a market of sufficient size and variety to

provide a source of information on the

performance of its products (cements)

e. financial ability to sustain the work

involved in membership on an active

technical committee (attendance at meetings,

laboratory participation in committee

research projects, etc.)

f. a promising future to which the company

management can look with enthusiasm and

confidence

To the SASO Technical Committee on Cement should be added members from

government agencies involved in construction, from responsible

building industry companies, from universities, and research

institutes and from additional cement companies which may be formed

under the new five-year plan, etc.

SASO should, of course, supply the secretariat, the early rules for

conduct of committee affairs, and probably the first committee

chairman. I suggest that the ASTM Regulations for conduct of

technical committees would be a useful early guide, but in due course

the SASO Committee should develop its own rules, scope, schedule of

meetings, technical program, etc. - all of course with strong guidance

from SASO.

It seems improbable that any other committee similar to the

recommended SASO Committee on Cement could be effectively formed in

Saudi Arabia, at least until after the new Five Year Plan has begun to

give rise to other industries with some of the qualifications of the

cement companies listed above. This gives SASO an excellent reason to

regard the Cement Committee as an experiment leading to the

development of improved future SASO procedures.

An effective technical committee, meeting at suitable intervals and

conducting its work with all members in direct contact with each other

and with SASO, can enormously reduce the amount of auxiliary office

work which SASO faces under its present procedures and which it can

not possibly carry out under current and prospective labor conditions

in the Saudi Kingdom.
- 21 -

2. SASO should make specific plans for a "Saudi Arabian National

Laboratory for Metrology and Standards." These plans should be

incremental in character, that is, amenable to efficient extension as future industrial needs arise. The first element in the plan should

relate to a "Laboratory for Metrology."

Explanation : Metrology in Saudi Arabia is in a stage too primitive to serve the needs of an industrial-urban nation such as is being

olanned. The foundation of good standardization is adequate

metrology. SASO has the legal responsibility for all national

metrological services. It cannot fulfill this role without a suitably

constructed and equipped laboratory which will take some years to

plan, build, staff and bring to effective operation. The present

Metrology Section of SASO has several good young men but they need

stronger support. A foreign expert in laboratory design is probably

needed.

3. SASO should resist participation in the enforcement of the

mandatory industrial standards which it promulgates.

Explanation : This recommendation originates from a question which Dr.

Qutb asked me a number of times in various forms.

Mote that this recommendation refers only to industrial standards,

not to standards on food and drugs with which this Report is in no way

concerned.

With regard to Building Codes and Building Regulations which

necessarily include a great many industrial standards, I am convinced

that SASO should play only an interpretive and advisory part.

Saudi Arabia is moving vigorously to industrialize its society. All

industrial nations have learned that the enforcement of law must be

separated from the making of law. This results from the hiphly

detailed and complicated division of responsibilities and the

concentrated urbanization which inescapably accompany

industrialization. The process is thoroughly documented in the

literature of political history and political science.

SASO, as a law-making body ("mandatory standards") should not

participate in the enforcement of its standards but must always be

well-informed concerning the results of that enforcement by other

authorities. One of the most effective means for doing this is for

SASO to maintain intimate contacts with the industries and

organizations which are directly affected by SASO standards. The

"SASO Committee on Portland Cement" which I have suggested earlier in

this report would typically be an efficient mechanism for the purpose.
- 22 -

Acknowledgements

I record herewith my thanks to the following persons who greatly

assisted me in the course of my Saudi Mission:

To Dr. Ahmed H. Qutb, Director General of SASO, who provided office

facilities for me at SASO and graciously gave me unrestricted access

to his staff for purposes of consultation and guidance to Saudi

industries, laboratories, etc.

To Dr. Duane C. Butcher of the U.S. Embassy in Jiddah, who extended

Embassy office services and transportation assistance to me.

To Mr. Shirl McArthur of the U.S. State Department in charge of the

U.S. Guest House in Riyadh, who repeatedly helped to arrange housing

for me under extremely difficult circumstances; Mr. McArthur also gave

me invaluable assistance on transportation and communications

problems.

To Mr. William Cavanagh, Managing Director of the American Society for

Testing and Materials (ASTM) and to Mr. William A. Maples, Executive

Director of the American Concrete Institute (ACI), both of whom went

to extraordinary effort and expense to be useful to SASO. The

American Concrete Institute develops and publishes the world's most

widely used groups of standards and codes covering construction in

concrete. These standards and codes have been translated into many

languages including Arabic. As I studied the situation in Saudi

Arabia, it became evident that the most useful standards that SASO

could possess at this time (apart from foods and drugs) would be those

of ACI and ASTM. In my capacity as past-president of both ACI and

ASTM, I wrote from Riyadh to Mr. Cavanagh and Mr. Maples describing

SASO's problems and needs. Mr. Maples promptly air-mailed a collection of ACI standards to SASO together with a gracious letter to

Dr. Qutb offering all possible further assistance. Mr. Cavanagh

immediately sent the entire 1975 Edition of all ASTM standards (fifty

large volumes) to SASO with the compliments of ASTM. Mr. H. Steffen

Peiser, Chief of the Office of International Relations of the National

Bueau of Standards, arranged for this shipment of ASTM books to be

transported through expedited U.S. Government channels.

To Mr. Donald Peyton, Executive Director of the American National

Standards Institute (ANSI) go my warm thanks for promptly sending to

SASO, at ray written suggestion from Riyadh, a complete up-to-date set

of ANSI standards, a truly huge compendium of industrial technical

information. SASO, before my arrival in Riyadh, had made attempts to

purchase all ANSI standards but because of misunderstanding of ANSI

operations had not made their requirements clear to ANSI. On my
- 23 -

written explanation to Mr. Peyton he took typically quick and

comprehensive action.

As directors of outstanding American private organizations Messrs.

Peyton, Cavanagh, and Maples have given extraordinary and

understanding assistance to the U.S. Government agencies which are concerned with maintaining cordial and helpful relations with Saudi

Arabia. These three men and their respective organizations deserve

the thanks of those agencies.

Full and invaluable administrative support of my mission was provided

by the National Bureau of Standards. I acknowledge especially the

counselling by Dr. Brady and Mr. Peiser. Mrs. Doris Bluebond

undertook the arduous task of reading this entire report in my

original long hand script and thereafter making a typed copy of it.
Append ix

K^Jm of SAUDI MABlfl

A GUIDE TO

PART ONE
- 25 -

APPENDIX AS SUPPLIED TO THE AUTHOR BY THE SAUDI ARABIAN STANDARDS ORGANIZATION

The following procedures, which have been established by SASO, are mainly intended to manage the Organization's technical work

satisfactorily, and to carry out the measures and steps to be adopted

by the technicians of the various sections in a standardized form, so as to issue the standards in the most suitable form.

One or more of these procedures may be overstepped according to the

type of the standard. Also, some of them can be carried out

simultaneously in a certain standard, while, in the same time, some other procedures are being taken in another draft standard.

1. Stage of Collecting Information

(1) Under the supervision of the dominating department, each section

shall write to the concerned bodies such as ministries, organizations,

governmental departments, universities, laboratories, research centers,

factories, commercial and industrial chambers, the Kingdom's commercial

attaches working in the Kingdom (through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs),

requesting provision of any data, research or reports relating to the

standards included in SASO approved program of work. For the same purpose, contacts with any of these bodies shall take place, if necessary.

In the meantime SASO can be in touch with these concerned bodies at the

stage of the preparation of each draft standard privately.

(2) Under the supervision of the dominating department, each

section shall determine priorities of executing the annual program

to be approved by the Director General after defining the exact

titles of the standards and the proposed date for commencing

formulation of each one in the light of the number of the staff

working in the section.

(3) All the available Arabic, foreign and international

standards, other reference books or data relating to the standard

under preparation shall be studied as follows:

a. refer to the available publications containing

standards indexes to collect the titles of the

suitable standards (national or international)

b. get the catalogues relating to the draft standard

from local resources

c. refer to as many standards as you possibly can

d. refer to ISO, ASMO, and IFC standards and ary

other international documents, and also to the
Appendix Continued

- 26 -

international recommendations and draft standards

e. refer to as many of the other reference books as you possibly can

f. write to foreign agencies requesting provision of

any additional information

(4) Preoare a list of the existing local factories and any

other bodies in which field studies have to be carried out for the

standard under preparation, explaining the need for and the purpose

of such field studies.

(5) A list of the detailed items ought to be included in the

standard, in addition to the statement of the characteristics which

ought to be standardized, the required quality standard and whether

these items will be directly or indirectly specified mentioning the

necessary tests, if any.

(6) Prepare a file containing copies of all the available scientific

data above mentioned in items 1 and 3. As for the data, copies of which

are difficult to get, and the big reference books containing methods of

test and analysis, it is enough to make an accurate summary of the

subject and keen it, accompanied with the names of the reference books.

(7) Prepare a brief report containing an outline of the results

attained concerning the aforementioned stage, to be annexed with a comparative table showing the information mentioned in other various

standards and reference books.

2. Stage of Field Studies

The section shall prepare a schedule about the field studies necessary

for all the standards included in SASO work program, to be distributed,

in coordination, between the staff of the section. The stage of field

studies shall include the following -

(1) Visits to existing local factories to seek to know:

a. the local standards applied in production and any

other data or research relating to the draft standard

b. quality standard and methods of control

c. availability of laboratory facilities and tests carried

out on the factory's products, and getting the results

of some of these tests, if any
Appendix Continued

- 27 -

d. the problems facinp, production, and any other affairs

concerning the draft standards

(2) Visits to other bodies, to be defined above, particularly

including the following -

Laboratories

The studies to be carried out shall include the following points:

a. available laboratory facilities

b. applied methods of test

c. getting the results of some of the tests carried out

on the commodity under study, and any other affairs

(3) Commercial and Industrial Chambers and Local Markets

The visits to these places shall include the following:

a. to hold meetings with the responsible people in

the concerned bodies, and study the local markets

b. to collect any available data about the main bodies

in the importing countries

c. to correspond with companies, commercial attaches or any other concerned bodies, inside the Kingdom or

abroad, if necessary

d. to collect data about any problems facing importation,

and any other affairs concerning the draft standard

Withdraw samples for analysis, if necessary, and be sure that no additional items are needed for the draft standard. Field studies

shall firstly commence in Riyadh, then in the other cities, if

necessary, which shall be subject to the Director General's agreement, after explaining the purpose of the proposed visits.

A detailed report shall be prepared about each visit. At the end

of this stage, a comprehensive report shall be submitted containing

the following points:

a. Status of existing factories

b. locally available laboratory facilities
Appendix Continued

- 28 -

c. the bodies responsible for the implementation control

d. problems facing manufacturing, importation and

exportation

e. possibility of obligation with the whole standard or with part of it

All data and reports shall be kept in the file of the standard.

3. Preparation of Preliminary Draft Standard

(1) In the light of the aforementioned studies, a preliminary draft

standard shall be prepared according to the "Guide to Formulation of

Standards.

The draft standard shall not contain any informative data about

methods of manufacture, unless necessary for the final commodity

to meet the requirements of the standard.

The following shall be taken into account in preparing the draft

standard

:

a. The draft standard shall contain all the required

items. The limits permissible in these items shall

not be harmful to the consumer's health and safety.

b. The limits of the items dealing with quality standards

shall go along with the local needs, so as to allow

importing only the commodities, suitable for the purpose

of their use, wherever they come from, and to stop

importing unsuitable commodities, wherever they come

from. Local products, if any, shall be taken into

consideration in order to raise their quality. In some cases, and without causing any harm to the

consumer's health and safetv, certain requirements for

locally manufactured commodities, and other different

requirements for imported commodities may be deliberately

stated, to avoid any difficulties that might rise at

implementation.

(2) The following shall be taken into account in preparing

standards for products and commodities:

a. Availability of the necessary methods of tests and

analysis

.

b. Issuance of the methods of test or analysis in a
Appendix Continued

- 29 -

separate standard. In case there are some general

methods of test or analysis which are common for a number of similar commodities, in addition to some other methods for the commodity under study, a separate draft standard for the common general

methods shall be prepared, while the other specific

methods shall be included in the standard of the

commodity itself.

c. The draft standard for the commodity shall include an item dealing with sampling. The draft standard for

the methods of test or analysis shall include the

way of sample preparation in the laboratory. Both may

be stated in one standard.

(3) The concerned section shall prepare a preliminary translation into

English for the draft standard including at least a list of technical terms.

This translation shall be passed, through the dominating department, to the

translation section accompanied with any reference books or standards that

might help in the process of translation. Then, the English version shall

be returned to the concerned section, through the dominating department, to

check the corrections of the technical contents. The (translation section)

is the one accountable for the English version of the draft standard.

(4) The draft standard shall be widely circulated on ministries,

governmental departments, organizations, and other concerned bodies such

as commercial and industrial chambers, local factories, commercial

attaches and consulting firms in the Kingdom, to submit their views and

comments within a period of two months. This period may be extended

according to request of the section, which has to give an explanation

for such request. The section shall be responsible to inform the concerned

bodies with the standard contents, through providing each of them with

a copy of the draft standard. The section shall also publicize the

issuance of the standard so as to enable any overstepped concerned body

to ask for a copy.

4. Collection of Technical Views and Comments

The views and comments submitted about the draft standard shall be

collected and arranged in tables including the item, the views or comments

submitted about it, the reaction of the concerned section (whether

acceptance or refusal of the views, explaining the reason for this)

and the views obtained from the meetings held to get to know various

points of view.

The views or comments which may lead to technical or economical problems

shall be submitted to the Director General.
Appendix Continued

- 30 -

5. Formation of Technical Committees

(1) The concerned section shall offer a proposal to form a technical committee to study the draft standard and the views and

comments submitted from the concerned bodies. Such a committee shall

comprise of representatives from the following bodies:

a. factories and other bodies intended for application

b. the consumer protection department (to be permanently

represented in all the committees)

c. bodies submitting essential views or comments

d. research centers and universities

(2) The following shall be taken into account, in the meetings of

the technical committee:

a. The discussions shall be confined in technical problems

only, as SASO is concerned with the draft f inalization.

b. Should SASO representative perceive that a certain

amendment will be harmful to the consumer's health

or safety or to the national interest, or will have a dire effect on the commodity situation in the Kingdom,

he shall insist to record his perception very clearly

and deliberately in the minutes, and submit a separate

explanatory memorandum about the matter to the Director

General.

c. All the members of the committee shall sign the minutes,

in which all the changes that occured to the SASO draft

standard shall be mentioned, with the following steps taken

into consideration:

(a) a draft of minutes shall be prepared and signed by

all the members in the meeting itself

(b) the minutes shall be typed in enough copies, and

be signed by the members from outside Riyadh in the same meeting, if possible

(c) after typing the minutes in the final form, it is

preferable to have member's signatures on all its

pages
Appendix Continued

- 31 -

6 . Final Distribution

(1) The concerned section shall refer the final form of the draft

standard to the formulation committee assigned by the Director

General, to review and take the ncessary measures.

(2) Then the draft standard shall be referred to the legal

advisor to make sure that its items are in agreement with the

functions stipulated in the organization's constitution.

In both cases the concerned section shall have to fully cooperate

with the formulation committee and the legal advisor, provide them

with any required information or data and to make sure of the

corrections of the technical content of the draft standard.

(3) The concerned section shall keep a final copy of the draft

standard with all its pages carrying the signature of the

responsibilities in the section, the formulation committee and

the legal advisor.

(4) The Engish version of the draft standard shall be accordingly

ammended

.

(5) The final Arabic and English versions of the draft standard

shall be circulated, according to subject matter, to the

laboratories of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture,

and the Public Works Department. Copies of these versions shall be

regularly sent to both the industry and the consumer's protection

departments in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Also they shall

be sent to the research and industrial development center and to other

concerned bodies. Members of the board of directors shall get tvro copies of each draft standard to determine the possibilities of

application and obligation. The comments of these bodies are to be

received within three months and the failure to send a reply by that

date shall be considered an approval of the draft standard concerned.

(6) Publicity for the draft standard shall be made in different news

media.

(7) After the lapse of the set period, the concerned section shall

prepare a memorandum containing comments received and the section's

views about them either in acceptance or rejection with reasons

given and whether there is need to hold a meeting for a specialized

technical committee to study then.

(8) In case the need arises to hold a meeting for a specialized

technical committee, a representative of the concerned body that

sent the comments, shall be invited to participate in the

committee's work. A final decision about these comments shall be
Appendix Continued

- 32 -

taken within a month after the lapse of the three months period

mentioned in item 6, number 5.

(9) The ammended items shall be referred again to the formulation

committee and the legal advisor for final revision.

7. Submission to the Board of Directors

After these steps, the draft standard is considered to be in the final

form. Three signed copies of that draft shall be kept. One of these

copies is kept in the concerned section, while the two other copies are directly sent to the Director General after the execution of item 6,

number 9. He shall refer them together with the relevant report and

memorandum to the Board of Directors for adoption. The report must

include any fundamental comments subject to dispute together with an explanation of the organization's views and reasons.

The memorandum must state whether the draft standard shall be

partially or completely a mandatory one and the suggested period

for enforcement after it is published in the official gazette.

8. Publication of the Standard

(1) After the draft standard is adopted, three authorized copies,

signed from the concerned section, shall be prepared. One of these

copies shall be kept in the special file of the subject, the other

sent to the Director General while the third is sent to the official

gazette for publication. The period after which the standard shall be

enforced in accordance with the Board of Director's decision, shall be

defined.

Then the concerned section shall:

(2) Publicize the necessary information about the issued standard

through various news media.

(3) Inform the various bodies on the publication of the standard in

the official gazette, while providing the concerned bodies with a copy of the standard under publication.

(4) Revise the text published in the official gazette and address

the publishing house in case misprints are found, to make the

appropriate corrections.

(5) Inform the various bodies of the publication date in the

official gazette with reference to any misprints.

(6) Read the first printer's proofs of the standard as well as a
Appendix Continued

- 33 -

copy of the final printed standard. If there are any misprints in the

final copy, a list of these mistakes shall be prepared, while taking

the necessary steps to print corrections and attach them to the

standard.

9. Implementation Follow-up

The concerned section shall follow up the implementation of the

standard through the following steps:

(1) Ask the concerned bodies and laboratories to present regular

reports showing implementation steps, giving a summary of achieved

results of tests, stating the rate of tested commodities conforming

with the standards and the percent of accepted and rejected commodities.

(2) If necessary, hold meetings between the organization and

merchants, business and industry men and other concerned bodies to

discuss any problems related to standards.

(3) In case any comments are received, the concerned section shall study

them to decide whether there is a need to revise the standard

either by raising or lowering the value of quality limits. It shall

prepare a memorandum, to the Director General, containing the sections

views, whether there is need to call a meeting for a technical committee

and the possibility of referring the matter directly to the Board of

Directors. The concerned section shall take, in this case, the necessary

steps to submit the subject to the Board of Directors, publish it in the

official gazettee and inform the concerned bodies according to the set

rules

.

(4) In all cases the concerned section shall review the standard every

three years and report to the Director General on whether there is a need

to revise the standard together with the necessary measures in this report

(5) In case of any ammendments added to any of the items of the standard,

an appendix shall be prepared. As for the full revision, the standard

shall be reprinted.

ISCOMM-NRS-OC
NBS-114A (REv Ml

U.S. DEPT. OF COMM. BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA

SHEET

1. IM M.K ATION OK REPORT NO. NBSIR 75-976

2. Gov't Accession

No.

3. Recipient's Accession No.

4. title and suinni.iSTANDARDS AND MEASUREMENT CAPABILITIES IN THE KINGDOM OF

SAUDI ARABIA

5. Publication Date January 1975

6. Performing Organization Code

7. All THOR(S)

Dr. A. Allan Bates

8. Performing Organ. Report No.

9. PERFORMING ORGAN I/.ATION N AMI-'. AND ADDRESS

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20234

10. Project /Task/ Work Unit No.

11. Contract/Grant No.

12. Sponsoring Organization Name and Complete Address (Street, City, State, ZIP)

U.S. -Saudi Arabian Joint Working Group on Industrialization

of U.S. -Saudi Arabia Joint Commission

National Bureau of Standards, Washington, D.C. 20234

13. Type of Report & Period Covered

Final report

14. Sponsoring Agency Code

15. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES

16. ABSTRACT (A 200-word or less (actual summary of most significant information. If document includes a significant

bibliography or literature survey, mention it here.) j\]q Saudi Arabian Standards Organization (SASO) is

operating under uniquely difficult circumstances. Basic sources of difficulties are:

1) almost total lack of any industries for consultation and cooperation, 2) extreme

speed at which Saudi Arabia is attempting transformation into an urban-industrial state,

3) unavailability of well-trained indigenous Saudi personnel, either scientific-technical or secretarial -clerical , and 4) lack of SASO laboratory facilities for standardization research work.

Operating procedures which SASO has adopted are based on consensus principles utilized

in countries with advanced industrial economies. Such procedures are not now applicable

in Saudi Arabia. Only the Saudi Portland Cement industry now offers opportunity for consensus standardization.

Until industrialization has advanced in the Kingdom SASO should use Interim Procedures

to produce Tentative Standards for national use. The Interim Procedures should permit

direct and immediate adoption of necessary standards from reliable national and international sources with minimum modification. The nature and terms of use of Tentative

Standards must be defined for public understanding.

SASO should not play the central role in the enforcement of SASO standards. SASO should

have an advisory relationship with authorities charged with mandatory standards enforcement. SASO should not now undertake the development of a national Saudi building code,

although it must produce the standards upon which a building code may be promulgated by

a related agency appointed for that purpose.

17. KEY WORDS (six to twelve entries; alphabetical order; capitalize only the first letter of the first key word unless a proper name; separated by semicolons

)

Building codes; industrialization; less-developed country; SASO; Saudi Arabia;

standardization; tentative standards

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