OSAC Standards Bulletin 1 January 2018

BULLETIN SUMMARY 

This Bulletin provides an update on forensic science standards that are moving through the development 

process at standards developing organizations (SDOs), and those that are moving through the Registry 

Approval Process at the Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science (OSAC). 

Please consider providing comments on documents that are open for comment. 

OSAC Registry Standards items open for comment: 1 Item

SDO Documents open for comment: 4 Items

OSAC REGISTRY NEWS 

Intent to Add to the OSAC Registry – Items Open for Comment

ASTM E2329-17, Standard Practice for Identification of Seized Drugs. 

Read the standard or submit a comment by January 6, 2018, 11:59pm EST. 

Standards Moving Through the OSAC Registry Approval Process 

This section only lists standards that moved from one step in the OSAC Registry Approval Process to another 

during the last month. A list of all standards currently under consideration is available on the OSAC website. 

No documents have advanced through the OSAC Registry Approval Process in the last month.

OSAC Draft Standards Submitted to Standards Developing Organizations (SDOs)

OSAC developed the following draft standards and has submitted them to SDOs for formal development:

Friction Ridge Subcommittee 

The following draft standards were submitted to American Academy of Forensic Sciences/American 

Standards Board (AAFS/ASB):

• Standard for Friction Ridge Examination Training

OSAC Standards Bulletin

January 2018
OSAC Standards Bulletin 2 January 2018

STANDARDS DEVELOPING ORGANIZATION (SDO) NEWS

Comment Period Open on Draft Documents

American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) Academy Standards Board (ASB):

ASB Best Practice Recommendation 010, Forensic Anthropology in Disaster Victim Identification: Best Practice Recommendations for the Medicolegal Authority, First Edition (Comment deadline, February 5, 2018)

ASB Best Practice Recommendation 009, Examination of Human Remains by Forensic Pathologists in the Disaster Victim Identification Context, First Edition (Comment deadline, January 29, 2018)

Re-circulation – ASB Standard 017, Standard Practices for Measurement Traceability in Forensic Toxicology, 

First Edition (Comment deadline, January 22, 2018) Please note that comments on a re-circulation will only be accepted 

on revised sections of a document, and that comments made to text not revised from the original public comment period will not be 

accepted.

Re-circulation – ASB Standard 020, Standards for Validation Studies of DNA Mixtures, and Development and 

Verification of Laboratory’s Mixture Interpretation Protocol (Comment deadline, January 22, 2018) Please note 

that comments on a re-circulation will only be accepted on revised sections of a document, and that comments made to text not revised 

from the original public comment period will not be accepted.

Please visit the Notification of Standard Development and Coordination area of the AAFS Standards 

Board website to view the comment resolutions from the initial public comment periods, the updated documents, and redline versions of the documents. The comment template can also be downloaded from the website. Please send any questions or comments on ASB documents to asb@aafs.org.

New Work Proposals for New or Revised Standards

These new work proposals for new or revised standards are just beginning development:

ASTM International E30.01 Criminalistics:

• ASTM WK59356 Revision with Title Change to E2125-2011 Guide for Microcrystal Testing in 

Forensic Analysis of Phencyclidine and Its Analogues 

• ASTM WK45265 Revision of E2228-2010 Guide for Microscopical Examination of Textile Fibers

• ASTM WK56155 Revision of E2330-2012 Test Method for Determination of Concentrations of 

Elements in Glass Samples Using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) for 

Forensic Comparisons 

• ASTM WK59310 Revision of E2882-2012 Guide for Analysis of Clandestine Drug Laboratory 

Evidence 

ASTM International E30.11 Interdisciplinary:

• ASTM WK40039 Practice for Forensic Science Training, Continuing Education and Professional 

Development Programs 

ASTM International E30.12 Digital and Multimedia Evidence:

• ASTM WK57017 Guide for Facial Recognition Systems: Guidelines for Postmortem Facial 

Image Capture

• ASTM WK58704 Practice for Facial Comparison Methods

• ASTM WK60382 Guide for Forensic Audio Laboratory Setup and Maintenance
OSAC Standards Bulletin 3 January 2018

ASTM International E30.92 Terminology:

• ASTM WK32589 Revision of E1732-2017 Terminology Relating to Forensic Science

New Standards

There are currently no new forensics related standards published this last month.

Revised/Reapproved Standards

These revised/reapproved standards are eligible for consideration by OSAC:

• ANSI INCITS 434: 2012 (R2017) Information Technology – Tenprint Capture using BioAPI

• ASTM E2927:2016e1 Standard Test Method for Determination of Trace Elements in Soda-Lime 

Glass Samples Using Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry for Forensic 

Comparisons, has been editorially changed.

• ISO/IEC 17011:2017 Conformity Assessment - Requirements for Accreditation Bodies Accrediting 

Conformity Assessment Bodies

• ISO/IEC 17025:2017 General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories

OTHER NEWS

American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) Academy Standards Board (ASB):

The AAFS Standards Board has published another technical report: ASB Technical Report 025, Crime 

Scene/Death Investigation – Dogs and Sensors – Terms and Definitions, First Edition, 2017 This technical 

document provides the standardization of terms and definitions used in the detection dog community. The use 

of standardized terminology in the detection dog community promotes consistency across jurisdictions and relieves the judicial system of conflicting terms and definitions. The OSAC’s Dogs and Sensors Subcommittee 

provided the initial draft of this technical report to ASB for formal development through ASB procedures. 

United Kingdom Forensic Science Regulator (UKFSR)

Technical Bulletin – UKAS Assessments incorporating the Forensic Science Regulators Codes of Practice

On the 13th October 2017, the Forensic Science Regulator published Version 4 of the ‘Codes of Practice and 

Conduct for forensic science providers and practitioners in the Criminal Justice System’ (The Codes).

Codes of Practice and Conduct for forensic science providers and practitioners in the Criminal Justice 

System Issue 4 October 2017. These are the revised codes of conduct and practice for forensic science providers and practitioners in the criminal justice system. 

Organizations that provide forensic science services to the UK Criminal Justice System can include the compliance with The Codes as part of their scope of UKAS accreditation. UKAS will start assessing against the newly 

published version of The Codes from the 1st February 2018.