OSAC Organizational Structure

Overview of OSAC's Structure

Five Scientific Area Committees (SACs) cover broadly defined forensic science topic areas and oversee 25 discipline-specific subcommittees. The subcommittees work to identify existing high-quality standards and to facilitate the development of new standards by Standards Development Organizations. Those standards, whether new or existing, can then be moved through OSAC’s standards approval process. The SACs approve standards identified by the subcommittees and provide coordination when standards span multiple disciplines. After a SAC approves a standard, it forwards that standard to the Forensic Science Standards Board for final approval.

The Forensic Science Standards Board (FSSB) oversees the SACs and subcommittees, establishes governance rules and policies to ensure the development of quality standards, and encourages their use in the provision of forensic science services. The FSSB administers overall operation of the organization, approves standards for inclusion on the OSAC Registry, and updates and disseminates the list of approved documents. The FSSB also approves membership nominations, resolves disputes and appeals, and engages in international efforts related to forensic science standards.

Three Resource Committees play critical support roles for OSAC by providing their expertise during reviews and throughout the standards development process. The Human Factors Committee provides guidance on the influence of systems design on human performance, ways to minimize cognitive and confirmation bias, and ways to mitigate errors in complex tasks. The Legal Resource Committee reviews standards from a legal perspective. The Quality Infrastructure Committee provides guidance on quality issues and interfaces with standards development organizations as needed.

All OSAC-approved documents are posted to the OSAC Registry.

For more information, see our Charter, Bylaws, and Terms of Reference, and view the links below.