Standards Open for Comment

Standards open for comment at OSAC

SDO Published Standards Under Consideration for the OSAC Registry 

The OSAC Registry approval process for published standards is used to review existing SDO published standards for technical quality and placement on the Registry. Please submit your comments by 11:59 p.m. ET on June 3, 2024, on whether the following SDO published standard should be included on the Registry:

• ANSI/ASB Standard 123, Standard for Routine Internal Evaluation of a Laboratory's DNA Interpretation and Comparison Protocol. 2024. 1st Ed. Submit your comments here.

NOTE: IN JANUARY 2022, OSAC’S FORENSIC SCIENCE STANDARDS BOARD (FSSB) APPROVED THAT THE REQUIREMENT FOR AN OSAC-MANAGED COMMENT PERIOD FOR REGISTRY APPROVAL OF SDO PUBLISHED STANDARDS CAN BE MET DURING THE SDO’S PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD. THE PUBLIC WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT ON A STANDARD DURING ITS DEVELOPMENT THROUGH THE SDO’S PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD. THIS CHANGE ALLOWS COMMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED DURING THE SDO DEVELOPMENT PROCESS, PRIOR TO PUBLICATION, ENABLING UPGRADES TO BE DIRECTLY INCORPORATED INTO THE STANDARD RATHER THAN RECEIVING THE COMMENTS AFTER THE STANDARD IS PUBLISHED. IN CASES WHERE OSAC CAN DOCUMENT THE SDO’S PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITY, OSAC WILL NOT EXECUTE A SECOND PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD DURING ITS REGISTRY APPROVAL PROCESS. SEE THE SDO UPDATES BELOW FOR INFORMATION ON THE STANDARDS CURRENTLY OPEN FOR COMMENT AT SDOS.

OSAC Proposed Standards Under Consideration for the OSAC Registry

The OSAC Registry approval process for OSAC Proposed Standards is used to review OSAC drafted standards for technical quality and placement on the Registry. The following draft OSAC Proposed Standard is being considered for submission to an SDO. The final draft provided to the SDO will be available on the OSAC Registry as an “OSAC Proposed Standard.” OSAC welcomes comments on whether the current draft is suitable for release to the SDO as well as suggestions for improvements in content and wording. To be considered, comments must be placed in the OSAC Comment Form and send to comments [at] nist.gov (comments[at]nist[dot]gov) by 11:59 p.m. ET on June 3, 2024.  

• OSAC 2024-S-0012, Standard Practice for the Forensic Analysis of Geological Materials by Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectrometry. 

   

Standards Open for Comment at SDOs

Academy Standards Board (ASB)

The Academy Standards Board (ASB) encourages all interested parties to provide comments on documents in progress. The following documents are open for public comment. To provide comments, download the comment template and return it to asb [at] aafs.org (asb[at]aafs[dot]org) by the deadline.    

Crime Scene Investigation & Reconstruction:

• ASB Standard 196, Standard for the Documentation and Processing of Shooting Scenes. 202x. 1st Ed. Comment deadline June 17, 2024.
  • NOTE: This is OSAC 2021-N-0019, Standard Practice for the Documentation and Processing of Shooting Scenes, currently on the OSAC Registry. 

Firearms & Toolmarks:

• ASB Standard 124, Minimum Requirements and Recommendations for a Firearm and Toolmark Examiner Training Program, 202x. 1st Ed. Comment deadline July 8, 2024. 
  • NOTE: This is OSAC 2021-N-0012, Requirements and Recommendations for a Firearm and Toolmark Examiner Training Program, currently on the OSAC Registry. 

Friction Ridge:

• *Recirculation - ASB Best Practice Recommendation 183, Best Practice Recommendation for Limited Friction Ridge Examinations. 202x. 1st Ed. Comment deadline July 8, 2024.
  • NOTE: This is OSAC 2021-N-0020, Best Practice Recommendation for Limited Friction Ridge Examinations, currently on the OSAC Registry. 

Medicolegal Death Investigation/Disaster Victim Identification:

• ASB Best Practice Recommendation 193, Best Practice Recommendations for Determining What Scene and Death Locations a Medicolegal Death Investigation Authority Responds to for an Investigation. 202x. 1st Ed. Comment deadline June 17, 2024.
  • NOTE: This is OSAC 2022-N-0027, Medicolegal Death Investigation Response to Death Locations and Incident Scenes: Best Practice Recommendations, currently on the OSAC Registry. 

*Comments on a re-circulation will only be accepted on revised sections of a document, comments made to text not revised from the previous public comment period will not be accepted. 

ASTM 

ASTM is currently soliciting public comments on the following forensic science standards. To obtain an electronic copy of the document, email accreditation [at] astm.org (accreditation[at]astm[dot]org). Please submit your comments to accreditation [at] astm.org (accreditation[at]astm[dot]org) (copy psa [at] ansi.org (psa[at]ansi[dot]org)) by June 17, 2024. 

Gunshot Residue:

• ASTM WK72526-202x, Guide for Opinions on the Interpretation of Primer Gunshot Residue (pGSR) Analysis by Scanning Electron Microscopy/Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectrometry (SEM/EDS) (new standard). 
• ASTM WK72856-202x, Practice for the Collection and Preservation of Organic Gunshot Residue (OGSR) (new standard). 
  • NOTE: This is OSAC 2021-N-0009 currently on the OSAC Registry. 

Fire Debris & Explosives:

• ASTM WK73482-202x, Practice for Reporting Results and Opinions of Ignitable Liquids Analysis (new standard). 
• ASTM WK73484-202x, Standard Practice for Reporting Results and Opinions of Explosives Analysis (new standard). 
• ASTM WK81724-202x, Classification for Ignitable Liquids Encountered in Fire Debris Analysis (new standard). 

Trace:

• ASTM WK78747-202x, Guide for Forensic Examination of Fibers (new standard). 
  • NOTE: This is OSAC 2022-S-0019 currently on the OSAC Registry. 
• ASTM WK78748-202x, Practice for Forensic Fiber Training Program (new standard). 
  • NOTE: This is OSAC 2022-N-0018 currently on the OSAC Registry. 
• ASTM WK78749-202x, Guide for Microspectrophotometry in Forensic Fiber Analysis (new standard).  
  • NOTE: This is OSAC 2022-S-0017 currently on the OSAC Registry. 
• ASTM E2937-202x, Guide for Using Infrared Spectroscopy in Forensic Paint Examinations (revision of ANSI/ASTM E2937-18).
  • NOTE: ANSI/ASTM E2937-18 is currently on the OSAC Registry. 
• ASTM E3085-202x, Guide for Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy in Forensic Tape Examinations (revision of ANSI/ASTM E3085-17). 
  • NOTE: ANSI/ASTM E3085-17 is currently on the OSAC Registry. 

Interdisciplinary:

• ASTM WK84882-202x, Practice for Testimony for Forensic Science Practitioners (new standard).
• ASTM E1459-202x, Guide for Physical Evidence Labeling and Related Documentation (revision of ANSI/ASTM E1459-13(18)).