Standards Open for Comment

Standards open for comment at OSAC

The following SDO-published standards are being considered for the OSAC Registry.

• None at this time. 

The following OSAC Proposed Standards are 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.” 

• None at this time.

Visit the Registry Approval Process webpage for more information about the Registry approval processes for SDO-published and OSAC Proposed Standards¹. 

Standards Open for Comment at SDOs

ASB

The following Academy Standards Board (ASB) documents are open for public comment. Click on the links below to access the document and its comment template. Submit your comments to asb [at] aafs.org (asb[at]aafs[dot]org) by the deadline.  

• *Recirculation - ASB Standard 207, Standard for Collection and Preservation of Document Evidence, 202x, 1st Ed. Comment deadline October 6, 2025.  
  • NOTE: This is OSAC 2022-N-0035, currently on the OSAC Registry.
• *Recirculation - ASB Standard 078, Standard for Training in Forensic Autosomal Short Tandem Repeat (STR) Data and Y-STR Data Interpretation and Comparison, 202x, 1st Ed. Comment deadline October 13, 2025.
• *Recirculation - ASB Standard 079, Standard for Training in the Use of Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), 202x, 1st Ed. Comment deadline October 13, 2025.
• *Recirculation - ASB Standard 080, Standard for Training in Forensic DNA Reporting and Review, 202x, 1st Ed. Comment deadline October 13, 2025.
• *Recirculation - ASB Standard 081, Standard for Training in Statistical Calculations Used for Forensic Short Tandem Repeat (STR) DNA Data, 202x, 1st Ed. Comment deadline October 13, 2025.
• *Recirculation - ASB Standard 091, Standard for Training in Analysis of Forensic Short Tandem Repeat (STR) Data, 202x, 1st Ed. Comment deadline October 13, 2025.
• *Recirculation - ASB Standard 136, Forensic Laboratory Standard for Prevention, Monitoring, and Mitigation of Human DNA Contamination, 202x, 1st Ed. Comment deadline October 13, 2025.
• ASB Best Practice Recommendation 213, Family Engagement Following a Mass Fatality Incident: Victim Information Center - Best Practice Recommendations for Medicolegal Death Investigation Authorities, 202x, 1st Ed. Comment deadline October 13, 2025.
  • NOTE: This is OSAC 2022-N-0021, currently on the OSAC Registry.
• *Recirculation - ASB Technical Report 016, Terminology Related to Friction Ridge Examination. Comment deadline October 27, 2025.
• ASB Best Practice Recommendation 232, Best Practice Recommendation for the Development of Criteria for Acceptance of a Request for Friction Ridge Examinations, 202x, 1st Ed. Comment deadline November 10, 2025.
  • NOTE: This is OSAC 2023-N-0012, currently on the OSAC Registry.
• ASB Technical Report 084, Presentation of Canine Detection Evidence in Court, 202x, 1st Ed. Comment deadline November 10, 2025.
• *Recirculation - ASB Technical Report 097e2, Terminology Used for Forensic Footwear and Tire Evidence, 202x. Comment deadline November 10, 2025.

*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

The following ASTM standards are currently open for public comment through ANSI. To obtain an electronic copy of the document, email accreditation [at] astm.org (accreditation[at]astm[dot]org). To provide comments, download the comment template and return it to accreditation [at] astm.org (accreditation[at]astm[dot]org) (copy psa [at] ansi.org (psa[at]ansi[dot]org)) by October 20, 2025.  

• WK72526, Practice for Opinions on the Interpretation of Primer Gunshot Residue (pGSR) Analysis by Scanning Electron Microscopy/Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectrometry (new standard).
• WK78747, Guide for Forensic Examination of Fibers (new standard).
  • NOTE: This is OSAC 2022-S-0019, currently on the OSAC Registry.
• E1412-xx, Practice for Separation of Ignitable Liquid Residues from Fire Debris Samples by Passive Headspace Concentration with Activated Charcoal (reaffirmation of ANSI/ASTM E1412-19).
• E1413-xx, Practice for Separation of Ignitable Liquid Residues from Fire Debris Samples by Dynamic Headspace Concentration onto an Adsorbent Tube (reaffirmation of ANSI/ASTM E1413-19).
• E3189-xx, Practice for Separation of Ignitable Liquid Residues from Fire Debris Samples by Static Headspace Concentration onto an Adsorbent Tube (reaffirmation of ANSI/ASTM E3189-19).
• E2881-xx, Test Method for Extraction and Derivatization of Vegetable Oils and Fats from Fire Debris and Liquid Samples with Analysis by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (revision of ANSI/ASTM E2881-18).

NFPA

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is accepting public comments until January 6, 2025, on the following standard:

• NFPA 921 Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations (revision of 2024 version).

Visit the NFPA website to submit comments. You will need to sign in or create a free account. 

Standards open for comment at other organizations

The Scientific Working Group for the Analysis of Seized Drugs (SWGDRUG) is accepting public comments on the following draft document until November 3, 2025.

• Revisions to SWGDRUG Recommendations - Part IIIE - Methods of Analysis/Stop Testing Procedures and Negative/Indicative Results

¹In 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 "Standards Open for Comment at SDOs" section above for the standards currently open for comment at SDOs.