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 legal experts. 

Two New Standards Added to the OSAC Registry

SDO Published Standard (added May 3, 2022):

• ANSI/ASB Standard 121, Standard for the Analytical Scope and Sensitivity of Forensic Toxicological Testing of Urine in Drug-Facilitated Crime Investigations, First Edition, 2021.

OSAC Proposed Standard (added May 3, 2022):

• OSAC 2020-S-0003, Guidelines for Performing Alcohol Calculations in Forensic Toxicology.

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. Please submit your comments by 11:59 p.m. ET on June 6, 2022 on whether the following SDO published standard should be included on the Registry:

• ANSI/ASB Standard 092, Standard for Training and Certification of Canine Detection of Explosives, First Edition, 2021. 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.

New SDO Published Standards

ASTM recently published the following standards: 

• ANSI/ASTM E3294-22, Guide for Forensic Analysis of Geological Materials by Powder X-Ray Diffraction.
• ANSI/ASTM E1732-22, Terminology Relating to Forensic Science (revision of ANSI/ASTM E1732-2019). 

Work Proposals for New or Revised Standards

An ASTM work item (WK) is a proposed new standard or revision to an existing standard that is under development. On April 8, 2022, a Project Notification System (PINS) was published on page four in the ANSI Standards Action. This will begin ASTM’s work on the following standard:

• BSR/ASTM Reinstatement of E2227-13, Standard Guide for Forensic Examination of Nonreactive Dyes in Textile Fibers by Thin-Layer Chromatography. This guide is intended as an overview of the Thin-Layer Chromatography (TLC) of fiber colorants (or individual dye components) present in dyed fibers. It is intended to be applied within the scope of a broader analytical scheme for the forensic analysis of fiber samples. TLC could provide information that cannot be obtained through other color analyses (such as MSP).

On April 15, 2022, a Project Notification System (PINS) was published on page two in the ANSI Standards Action. This will begin the Academy Standards Board's (ASB’s) work on the following standard:

• BSR/ASB Std 180-202x, Standard for the Selection and Evaluation of GenBank® Results for Taxonomic Assignment of Wildlife. As it stands now, there is not a standard covering the requirements for the use of GenBank® in forensic casework. This document will outline these requirements to ensure GenBank® results are obtained and used properly in the field of wildlife forensics.
  • NOTE: This will be the standard moving through ASB's consensus process. Once published, it will replace OSAC 2021-S-0006 Standard for the Use of GenBank for Taxonomic Assignment of Wildlife, currently on the OSAC Registry.

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:

• Eleven standards open for comment at ASB in biology/DNA (1), firearms & toolmarks (2), forensic anthropology (1), forensic toxicology (2), and friction ridge (5).

Now Available: AAFS Standards Resources and Training Webpage
As part of a cooperative agreement with NIST, AAFS is developing training, tools, and resources to enhance implementation efforts and broaden awareness of forensic science standards among communities of interest. 
Check out the new AAFS Standards Resources and Training webpage to see standards-related presentations from the 2022 AAFS Meeting and future standard fact sheets and checklists. 

ASCLD Forensic Research Committee Collaboration Hub
The American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD) Forensic Research Committee (FRC) has launched a collaboration directory for forensic science researchers and practitioners. The directory connects researchers with ongoing projects to practitioners who want to participate in research studies. Each project listed in the directory includes a summary, the support requested from participants, estimated time involved and deliverables. More information about the available projects can be found in the FRC Researcher-Practitioner Collaboration Directory. 

Webinars

• Standards: The Not-So-Missing Link. As part of a cooperative agreement with NIST, AAFS has created a new video to help address the need for training related to forensic science standards. This video is the basis for a webinar that will be held May 20, June 16, and July 21, 2022. Registration for the May webinar is open and available here.  
• Extracting Case-Specific Information from Validation Studies. This webinar is part of CSAFE’s Spring 2022 Webinar Series and will be held May 10, 2022. 
• Application of the OSAC Registry of Standards to Forensic Science Service Providers’ Quality Systems. This webinar, which originally occurred March 31, addresses the practical challenges facing quality managers and senior management in the process of standards implementation. View the archived webinar here. 

CSAFE Short Course on Statistical Thinking for Forensic Practitioners
The Center for Statistics and Applications in Forensic Evidence (CSAFE) will be holding an online short course in three sessions on June 3, 10, and 17. Each session builds upon the previous one(s) and recordings will be available. For more information and to register, visit forensicstats.org/courses.