SDO Published Standards
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 October 2, 2023 on whether the following SDO published standard should be included on the Registry:
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.
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 sent to comments [at] nist.gov by 11:59 p.m. ET on October 2, 2023.
The AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB) is currently soliciting public comments on the following forensic science standards. To provide comments, download the comment template and return it to asb [at] aafs.org by the deadline.
ASTM is currently soliciting public comments on the following forensic science standards. Email accreditation [at] astm.org to request an electronic copy of a document. Submit your comments to accreditation [at] astm.org (and copy psa [at] ansi.org) by September 25, 2023.
ASTM E3272-202x, Guide for Collection of Soils and Other Geological Evidence for Criminal Forensic Applications (revision of ANSI/ASTM E3272-21).
ASTM E3294-202x, Guide for Forensic Analysis of Geological Materials by Powder X-Ray Diffraction (revision of ANSI/ASTM E3294-22).
The Facial Identification Working Group (FISWG) is currently soliciting public comments on the following forensic science standards. Please visit the FISWG website for submission instructions and commenting template. Comments will be accepted until October 14, 2023.
On July 30, 2023, SWGDE announced the following draft documents are open for comment by all interested parties. These documents will be open for comment for a minimum period of 60 days. Suggestions for modifications are welcome and must be submitted following the provided instructions specified on the cover page incorporated into each document. Submit your comments through the SWGDE Electronic Request for Modifications form.
On August 12, 2023, SWGDE announced the following draft documents are for comment by all interested parties. These documents will be open for comment for a minimum period of 60 days. Suggestions for modifications are welcome and must be submitted following the provided instructions specified on the cover page incorporated into each document. Submit your comments through the SWGDE Electronic Request for Modifications form.
Check out this article by Karen Reczek, former FSSB NIST Ex Officio, on best practice recommendations for submitting comments on draft standards.