Quality management

• what is quality management

  • checks and balances to hold standards in place
• accrediation 


  formal recongition by independent body known as accrediation body, operates according to international standards
• certification 


  provision by independent body of writtem assurance that the product, service or system in question meets the special requirements

  • 3rd party confirmatory assesment
• standard 


  document established by conenssue and approved by recognised body

  • provides common and repeated, rules, guidlines, or characteritsics
  • aim: acheived optimum degree of order
• regulation 


  rule endorsed by government, where there is no expectation of compliance
• history of accredaition

  • started in 1973
  • 1982, ASCLD Accrediated the 1st lab
• ASCLD


  American society of crime lab directors

  • they created standards development and conformance assessments
• what occured between 1974-1975

  4 separate terrorism events
• define 1991 royal comission and inquires

  • established due to unrealiblity of forensic sceience evdience and poor practice
  • to ID shortcoming in quality of FS
• outcomes of Lindy chamberlain case (2 recommendations of Royal comission)

  1. created NIFS: national insitute of forensic science
  2. created/ID need for national lab accrediation program
• what the overall issue of chamblerian case

  forensic overstated their evidence
• compare ISO9001, ISO17025, AND ISO 1720

  ISO9001: quality mangement in the UK

  ISO17025: general requirement for competence of calibration and testing labs

  ISO1720: europe’s standAnd for crime scene examination
• what is ISO GUIDE 25

  created as a repsonse and request by ILAC (international lab acc co-op)
• challenges of ISO17025 AND ISO17020

  • VOLUNATRY
  • fragmentation between labs
  • bare standard and not detailed for forensic lab
• NAS


  NATIONAL academy of forensic sceince
• failures of PCAST

  • 2009: BOSTON: illicit drugs
  • 2012: Huston for toxological and Virginia for mishanding samples
  • 2013: Florida: illicit drugs
  • 2024: Colorado: DNA
• how many wrongful convictions

  375 DNA EXONERATIONS AND 33% SA
• AUS Failures

  • 1989: Canberra: David Eastman
  • 2003: Sydney: Kathleen
  • 2008: melborune: Farah jama
  • 2013: brisbane: standee blackburn
• aus standard AS53388

  1. forensic analysis
  2. everything happens in the scene
  3. analysis and exam of mat
  4. interpret
  5. report
• development of ISO 21043

  for forensic sceience

  1. terms and defintions
  2. everything happens in the scene
  3. analysis and exam of mat
  4. interpret
  5. report
• UK forensic science regulator

  • 2021
  • provides power to invest and take enforcement action where there are sub risk to crime invest
  • respons for ID the requirement for new/imported quality standards
  • reasons to provide advice
• things to consider

  1. expectations of the industry from the community is changing
  2. traditional accrediation show bare min, push towards greater accountability, transparency, and standards
  3. greater requirement and regualtions
• compare themes from 2022 Sofronff and 2023 Bennet

  2022: poor quality culture, insuff validations and lack of trans and account

  2023: the same issue, lack of stakeholder enagement and insuff training
• FSQ quality goals

  1. foster trust and confidence
  2. build healthy quality culture
  3. quality assurance meetings
  4. strengthen scientifc vailidity, accuracy and realibality
  5. quality assurance gap analysis
  6. establish robust compliance framework
  7. recognise FSQ AS WORLD leading lab
• how to build a hearthy culture

  • staff understanding and account
  • empower staff solutions and engagement
• how to establish a robust compliance framework

  • provide oversight, trans and account