ISO 17020:2012
Definition
The international standard for inspection bodies. Applies to forensic anthropology teams conducting scene recovery and exhumation, requiring documented procedures, personnel qualification evidence, and independence from the outcome of the inspection.
- Standard
- ISO 17020:2012
- Domain
- Requirements for inspection bodies
- Forensic application
- Anthropology teams doing scene recovery and exhumation
- Requires
- Documented procedures, personnel qualification records, independence
Common questions
How does ISO 17020 differ from ISO/IEC 17025 in forensic accreditation?+
17025 covers testing and calibration laboratories, such as the DNA or chemistry bench work, while 17020 covers inspection activities carried out at a site, such as scene recovery and exhumation, so a forensic anthropology unit may need both depending on which activities it performs.
Why does independence matter specifically for an inspection body under this standard?+
An inspecting team's findings can determine whether an exhumation proceeds correctly and how remains are documented, so the standard requires the inspection function to be free from pressure by, or financial interest in, the outcome it is reporting on, protecting the evidential chain.
Related terms
- ABFA Diplomate
- The American Board of Forensic Anthropology's practitioner certification, requiring a doctoral degree, three or more years of forensic casework, a reviewed case...
- BSA 2023 Section 79
- The Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023, which replaced the Indian Evidence Act 1872, governing expert testimony admissibility in India. Section 79 (formerly §...
- Daubert Standard
- The US federal evidentiary standard (Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, 1993) requiring that expert testimony be based on scientifically valid methods with...
- ENFSI FAWG
- The ENFSI Forensic Anthropology Working Group, which produces the ENFSI Best Practice Manual for Forensic Anthropology and operates an annual External Quality...
- ISO/IEC 17025:2017
- The international standard specifying general requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories. Covers management (document control, non-conforming work, audits) and...
- OSAC Anthropology Subcommittee
- The Organisation of Scientific Area Committees' Anthropology Subcommittee, operating under NIST since 2014. Develops and publishes formal standards for forensic anthropology methods...
- Peer Review of Casework
- The ABFA 2017 position: every forensic anthropology report submitted to a court should be independently reviewed by a second qualified analyst before...
- Qualified-Opinion Framework
- The four-tier opinion scale used by forensic anthropologists for identification opinions: identification confirmed / consistent with / cannot exclude / excludes. Formalised...
- SWGANTH
- Scientific Working Group for Forensic Anthropology. A US expert panel that produced guidance documents (2008-2013) on standards for forensic anthropological practice, now...