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OSAC Registry Implementation: A How-to Guide

Introduction

The Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic 

Science is a collaborative body of more than 550 forensic science 

practitioners and other experts representing all levels of the 

government, academia, and industry. Administered by the National 

Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), OSAC’s mission is to 

facilitate the development of science-based standards and to

encourage the use of these standards throughout the forensic 

science community. The goal is to have stakeholders in the forensic 

science community and legal system embrace the approved 

standards on the OSAC Registry and implement them into everyday 

practice. Implementation will improve consistency across forensic 

science disciplines and increase confidence in the accuracy and 

reliability of a forensic science service provider’s (FSSP) outputs. These positive benefits

enhance the confidence in FSSP’s reports and the credibility of FSSP’s expert testimony in the 

courts of law.

OSAC Registry implementation means a FSSP has incorporated an OSAC Registry standard into 

their management system (i.e., quality) documents. OSAC has previously published 

comprehensive guidance on OSAC Registry Implementation. Successful incorporation of, and 

compliance to, an OSAC Registry standard is currently self-declared by a FSSP. OSAC does not 

audit nor independently assess any claims of OSAC Registry standard(s) implementation or 

continued compliance. Any self-declaration by a FSSP that it is following an OSAC Registry 

standard will be observable in documents and records of the FSSP. This document provides 

further suggestions on how a FSSP can demonstrate successful incorporation and routine 

compliance. 

Section 1 of this document lists possible pathways for incorporation and relevant 

considerations. This section includes an intermediate stage when a FSSP cannot fully 

incorporate an OSAC Registry standard. Section 2 of this document provides further discussion

to assist FSSPs in their evaluation and incorporation of applicable OSAC Registry standards.

How, and to what degree, a FSSP implements an OSAC Registry standard is at its discretion; it is

most aware of potential enhancements to its practices and management system. As such, OSAC

does not advocate for one specific pathway over another but does encourage FSSPs to aspire to 

and eventually complete the full incorporation of Registry Standards insofar as practicable.
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Section 1: Possible Pathways for Incorporation of OSAC Registry Standards

a. Incorporate all standards for all forensic disciplines applicable to the FSSP.

Example: A FSSP’s policy describes that it will evaluate and incorporate all applicable 

OSAC Registry approved standards into their operating procedures.

What this means: As the OSAC Registry is updated, the FSSP would need to review each 

new standard and decide whether it applies to its scope of services provided. The FSSP

would either use each applicable standard as its SOP for each discipline or incorporate 

the standard’s wording into the FSSP’s self-authored SOPs for each discipline. 

b. Incorporate all applicable standards for a specific forensic discipline.

Example: A FSSP has incorporated all OSAC Registry standards for Toxicology into its

relevant SOPs. 

What this means: The FSSP would either use each applicable standard as its SOP for the 

specific discipline or incorporate the standard’s wording into the FSSP’s self-authored 

SOPs for the specific discipline. 

c. Incorporate one or more standards, but not all OSAC Registry standards, applicable to 

a specific forensic discipline.

Example: A FSSP incorporates the OSAC Registry approved standard “ASTM Standard 

Practice for Identification of Seized Drugs [E2329-17]” into its SOP for the identification 

of seized drugs (or equivalent). 

What this means: The FSSP would either use the standard as its SOP for the specific 

discipline or incorporate the standard’s wording in its self-authored SOPs. 

Intermediate Implementation

It is possible that a FSSP has jurisdictional, regulatory or policy requirements that prevents

incorporation of a standard as published at a given time. While the majority of the standard’s 

criteria may be met, a FSSP can only reach a partial incorporation due to the limitation. A FSSP 

may wish to demonstrate its intent to meet the criteria for an OSAC Registry standard while 

noting the limitation which prevents full incorporation. 

Example: A FSSP incorporates the majority of the OSAC Registry approved standard 

“ASTM Standard Practice for Identification of Seized Drugs [E2329-17]” into its SOP for 

the identification of seized drugs (or equivalent). 
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What this means: In the SOP, the FSSP’s would cite the standard, cite the specific 

portion of the standard that cannot be incorporated and the reason the specific portion

cannot be met.

Incorporation of a standard as published is desired. However, a FSSP may have sound and 

defensible justifications for why it can only incorporate most requirements and not the 

standard as published. OSAC’s goal is to improve consistency within and across forensic science 

disciplines and intermediate incorporation of a standard is a step toward that goal; denoting 

that the FSSP has assessed the applicability of an available Registry standard(s) and 

incorporated it to its fullest ability at a given time. 

Section 2: General Considerations

FSSPs are consistently striving for improvement. The OSAC Registry offers those providers who 

use consensus developed forensic science standards, a way to enhance their forensic services 

and management systems. While the incorporation of OSAC Registry standards is currently 

novel in the forensic science community, it is anticipated the momentum for incorporation will 

continue to grow. This is similar to the continuum of forensic science laboratories seeking 

accreditation over the past years. Initially, pioneering laboratories came together to develop an 

accreditation program that could support and provide demonstrable proof of quality 

improvement. Laboratories sought this optional accreditation which included implementation

of standards and best practices. As more laboratories achieved accreditation, what was 

previously optional eventually became expected in the forensic science community and legal 

system. Expectation of laboratories being accredited drove further participation leading to

some federal and state governments mandating their forensic laboratories achieve 

accreditation wherever applicable. The starting point for every FSSP is to evaluate the 

approved Registry standards, assess those standards that are applicable to the forensic services 

provided by that FSSP, and determine how the standard(s) can be incorporated into their 

management system. Incorporation may require validation or verification for a method. 

Incorporation will require updating corresponding SOPs (or equivalent) and appropriate training

for technical personnel. This requires that the FSSP allocates the time and necessary resources 

for successful execution. We discuss some of these elements in further detail below.

Evaluation: A requirement for an accredited FSSP, and best practice for all, is that senior 

management conduct an annual review of the overall health of the management system. 

Additionally, management system documents must be periodically reviewed and updated as 

necessary. These reviews provide an opportunity to assess the applicability of current Registry 

standards to the FSSP’s practices, and potentially document the organization’s intent on 

incorporation. At a minimum, technical experts for each of the FSSP’s forensic disciplines can 

evaluate the applicability of OSAC Registry standards to their SOPs during this periodic review. 

Should an FSSP choose to document its review of OSAC Registry standards into their business 

records or management system documents (e.g., in a report of the laboratory’s annual review 

of their management system), the following sample language is offered:
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“The [Forensic Science Service Provider Name] has an established quality system that supports 

consistent conformance to requirements in ISO/IEC 17025:2017 as demonstrated through 

accreditation by Accrediting Body X. For the forensic service provided, the organization will 

incorporate/meet [select the best word that describes the current status or intent] the 

requirements of the standards on the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for 

Forensic Science Registry where those standards are applicable. The [FSSP Name] is committed 

to a strategy of continuous improvement.” 

Risk: A vital part of an FSSP’s management system is the ability to assess risk. The outcome of 

risk can either be positive (i.e., an opportunity) or negative (i.e., a threat). Risk assessments are

conducted to reduce the likelihood of a negative impact and to maximize realized opportunity. 

The introduction of ISO/IEC 17025:2017 states, “Addressing both risk and opportunities 

establishes a basis for increasing the effectiveness of the management system. The laboratory 

is responsible for deciding which risks and opportunities need to be addressed.” 

An FSSP’s evaluation of OSAC Registry standards should include an assessment that looks at the 

objectives of the organization and determines both the risks and opportunities from

incorporating these standards. A decision to incorporate a standard demonstrates the FSSP is 

agreeing to meet the standard requirements the forensic science community has deemed 

appropriate. This provides both the public and the legal system an added level of trust in the 

services provided and allows the work to be compared more readily to other organizations. 

FSSPs should note that potential risk exists for both choosing or not choosing to incorporate 

Registry standards. Short-term considerations may include the effort and resources that are 

available for successful incorporation. Long-term risks for a FSSP deciding not to incorporate

OSAC Registry standards may include being out of step with best practices deemed by the 

forensic community and being susceptible to increased challenges during testimony. There are 

also potential expectations and pressure from the public, law enforcement, forensic science 

community, and legal system for FSSPs to follow applicable Registry standards.

Training: A key element to the successful incorporation of a Registry standard is having the 

appropriate training provided to personnel. Regardless of which pathway a FSSP uses, all will 

result in modifications to the management system documents of the organization. These 

modifications require technical personnel to be trained on the reason and expected benefit of 

incorporating the Registry standards. It is recommended that general training for technical 

personnel include information about OSAC, its mission, the Registry standards and the specific

details around the FSSP’s implementation of the standards. For a FSSP that has opted for 

intermediate incorporation due to a given limitation, it is advisable that technical personnel are 

knowledgeable of why full incorporation of a standard was not executable at the given time 

and how, if at all, that impacts the overall methodology used. It is critical that technical 

personnel who testify be prepared to address these topics during judicial proceedings. As 

mentioned, greater incorporation of the OSAC Registry standards by forensic science service 

providers will set greater expectations. Technical personnel should be fully aware of their 

FSSP’s status and position on Registry standards to address those potential questions during 

testimony.
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Recognition of Incorporation: The goal of OSAC is to have FSSPs embrace and incorporate the 

Registry standards for the betterment of its operations and outputs. Those who have 

incorporated Registry standards will likely want to share this information with their customers 

as a demonstration of high-quality service. It should be noted that there is no current method 

by which OSAC can independently confirm that an FSSP has successfully incorporated the 

Registry standards and is following those requirements routinely. FSSPs should seek 

accreditation whenever possible as the auditing process evaluates whether a FSSP is following 

its documented quality practices and technical procedures. As an example, if an accredited FSSP

incorporates an OSAC Registry standard through the pathways noted in Section 1, by default,

that incorporation becomes a part of the FSSP’s documented management system 

documents. Those procedures are routinely provided to its accrediting body and are then used 

by that body to evaluate a FSSP’s management system.

In conclusion, OSAC facilitates the development of scientifically sound standards for the 

forensic science community. These standards have been developed through collaboration and 

consensus by subject matter experts who represent that community at large. The intent of each 

standard is to improve consistency within forensic disciplines and to ensure confidence in the 

accuracy and reliability of provided forensic science services. The OSAC Registry standards offer

a tool for FSSPs in their constant endeavor to improve. This document advocates for their 

incorporation by FSSPs and has offered suggested pathways for organizations to consider in 

that process. Each FSSP should evaluate the applicability of those standards to the forensic 

science services they provide and assess how incorporation of a standard will benefit their 

management system documents. Successful incorporation will require modifications to 

management system documents, along with appropriate training for personnel. Incorporation 

of Registry standards into an accredited FSSP’s procedures will allow for the subsequent 

auditing by an accrediting body that can demonstrate whether the organization is meeting or 

exceeding the standard’s criteria. At a minimum, FSSPs are encouraged to assess the benefits of 

incorporating OSAC Registry standards. 

To learn more about OSAC Registry implementation efforts, visit the OSAC website.

If you have questions about OSAC Registry implementation, contact the OSAC Program Office 

(forensics@nist.gov). 

Prepared by the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science, Quality Task Group’s (QTG) Working 

Group on OSAC Registry Implementation

The OSAC Quality Task Group’s (QTG) role is to act as a resource to OSAC members on quality issues. The QTG was asked to 

determine possible pathways for the incorporation of Registry standards into the management system (i.e., quality system) of 

forensic science service providers. The QTG’s goal with this document is consistent with OSAC’s mission: to encourage the use 

of OSAC Registry standards. 

Task Group Members: 

Eric Pokorak (Chair), Karin Athanas, Christopher Krug, Jason Bond, Jason Bundy, Matthew Gamette, Melanie McMillin, Lori Nix, 

Blythe Toma, Patti Williams