OSAC Standards Bulletin

The OSAC Registry is a repository of high-quality, technically sound published and proposed standards for forensic science. These written documents define minimum requirements, best practices, standard protocols, and other guidance to help ensure that the results of forensic analyses are reliable and reproducible.

All the standards on the OSAC Registry have passed a rigorous technical and quality review by OSAC members, including forensic science practitioners, research scientists, statisticians, and human factors and legal experts. 

One New OSAC Proposed Standard Added to the OSAC Registry

• OSAC 2023-N-0004, Standard for Interactions Between Medical Examiner, Coroner and All Other Medicolegal Death Investigation Agencies and Organ and Tissue Procurement Organizations and Eye Banks (added March 7, 2023). 

Standards Open for Comment for OSAC Registry Approval

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. 

• There are no SDO published standards currently open for comment for placement on the OSAC Registry.

OSAC Proposed Standards

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 (comments[at]nist[dot]gov) by 11:59 p.m. ET on April 3, 2023.

• OSAC 2023-N-0011, Standard Practice for a Physical Fit Analysis Training Program.

New Published Standards

ASB has recently published the following standards:

• ANSI/ASB Standard 098, Standard for Mass Spectral Analysis in Forensic Toxicology, First Edition, 2023.
• ANSI/ASB Standard 113, Standard for Identification Criteria in Forensic Toxicology, First Edition, 2023.

ASTM has recently published the following standard:

• ANSI/ASTM E3295-2023, Guide for Using Micro X-Ray Fluorescence (u-XRF) in Forensic Polymer Examinations.

Standards Open for Comment at SDOs

Stakeholders from the forensic science community are encouraged to provide input on standards as they are being developed at SDOs. For SDO published standards going through the OSAC Registry approval process, the public will have an opportunity to comment on a standard during the SDO’s public comment period but will not be given a second opportunity to comment through OSAC on whether the resulting standard should be placed on the Registry.

Visit OSAC’s Standards Open for Comment webpage to see the full list of forensic science standards open for comment at SDOs and how to submit your feedback. This page consolidates and tracks comment deadlines for you and will be updated on a weekly basis. It currently includes:

• Four standards are open for comment at ASB in firearms & toolmarks (2) and biology/DNA (2).

New Work Proposals

On February 24, 2023, a Project Initiation Notification System (PINS) was published on page two in the ANSI Standards Action. This will begin ASTM’s work on the following standard:

• BSR/ASTM WK85075-202x, New Practice for Uncertainty Estimation of Quantitative Measurements in the Analysis of Seized-Drugs. This standard provides minimum requirements for the estimation of uncertainty for quantitative measurements in the analysis of seized drugs.

OSAC FSSB Meeting: Public Feedback Session

Beginning in March 2023, the OSAC Forensic Science Standards Board (FSSB) will have a public feedback session available during their quarterly meetings. The purpose for this public session is to provide stakeholders with an opportunity to share feedback with the FSSB related to agenda items or matters within the FSSB’s authority. The FSSB will consider all feedback from the public and remarks can be made by the submitter or by the OSAC Program Office on behalf of the submitter.

The next quarterly FSSB meeting will be held virtually on March 15-16, 2023. The public session will take place virtually on Wednesday, March 15 from 4:30 – 5:00 p.m. ET. If you wish to share feedback with the FSSB, please complete and submit this form by March 10, 2023. The schedules and agendas for upcoming FSSB meetings can be found on the FSSB Meetings webpage.

Calling All Forensic Biologists: OSAC’s Human Forensic Biology Subcommittee Needs Your Input

OSAC's Human Biology Research Task Group is seeking input regarding current research needs, standards, and training for the forensic biology community. This survey will aid the OSAC Human Biology Task Group in (1) identifying the most practitioner-relevant research needs in the forensic biology community, (2) generating new standards or training documents based on practitioner feedback, and (3) understanding and identifying future training needs.

The survey will take approximately 30-60 minutes to complete. Participation requires that you are at least 18 years of age or older. Participation in this survey is fully voluntary and all responses will be anonymous. There is no compensation for completing the survey. If you have questions, please contact Dr. Nadja Schreiber Compo at schreibe [at] fiu.edu.

 Access the survey here: https://go.fiu.edu/OSACSurvey

OSAC's 2022 Registry Implementation Survey Report is Now Available

In the summer of 2022, the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science released our second annual OSAC Registry Implementation Survey to better understand how the standards on the Registry are being used, the challenges around standards implementation, and what support is needed to improve it. We shared a preliminary report of the survey results in our 2022 Fall Newsletter & Annual Report.

A report providing a detailed look at the implementation status of each of the 95 standards represented in the 2022 survey is now available. Visit the OSAC website to learn more about the survey and access the 2022 report. 

AAFS Standards Resources and Training

As part of a cooperative agreement with NIST, the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) is developing training, tools, and resources to enhance implementation efforts and broaden awareness of forensic science standards among communities of interest.

• Standards factsheets provide a clear, concise, and easy way to understand the purpose of a specific standard, why it is needed, and the benefits of adoption. Standards factsheets are available for 50+ standards on the OSAC Registry.
• Standards checklists are a tool that forensic science service providers can use to track progress towards implementation, identify gaps or barriers to implementation, or document objective evidence of implementation or compliance with a standard. Checklists are available for 70+ standards on the OSAC Registry.
• Standards webinars are available for free from AAFS Connect. Learn about the standards development process, standards development activities in various disciplines, and information about specific SDO published standards on the OSAC Registry.

NIJ Solicitation: FY23 Research and Development in Forensic Science for Criminal Justice Purposes

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is seeking proposals for basic or applied research and development projects that will:

• Increase the body of knowledge to guide and inform forensic science policy and practice; or
• Lead to the production of useful material(s), device(s), system(s), or method(s) that have the potential for forensic application.

Please note that the closing date for submissions is April 26, 2023. For more information, visit the NIJ website.

On Page 5 of NIJ’s solicitation they note that applications/projects should address the challenges and needs of the forensic science community, including but not limited to priorities outlined in the NIJ Forensic Science Strategic Research Plan and operational needs identified at NIJ’s TWG meetings, which may be found on NIJ.OJP.gov. Additional research needs of the forensic science community can be found at the Organization of Scientific Area Committees website.

Upcoming OSAC & Other Forensic Science Events

• OSAC’s Physics/Pattern Interpretation, Scene Examination, and Chemistry: Trace Evidence Scientific Area Committees (SACs)/Subcommittees Meeting will be held April 17-21, 2023.
• OSAC’s Digital/Multimedia, Medicine, Biology, and Chemistry: Drugs/Toxicology Scientific Area Committees (SACs)/Subcommittees Meeting will be held May 15-19, 2023.
• American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD) Annual Symposium will be held April 30-May 4.