Jul 26, 2016

ASTM International's Committee on Homeland Security Applications (E54) recently approved three new standards for body armor for military and criminal justice personnel, helping protect them from gunshots and stabs.

According to ASTM member Casandra Robinson, a broad group of stakeholders (including the National Institute of Justice, the U.S. Army Program Executive Office, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology) is working through ASTM to harmonize body armor standards, including test methods.

"The intent of this collaboration is to eliminate duplication of effort, to more effectively use resources, and to reduce testing costs," says Robinson, a physical scientist at NIST. "The ultimate goal is to provide the best protection possible using the combined knowledge and resources of federal agencies, law enforcement agencies, testing and certification bodies, and manufacturers."

The first standard in this series, Practice for Measurement of Body Armor Wearers (E2902) was approved in 2012. The committee recently approved three more:

Robinson notes that the growing suite of standards will improve and validate methods, increase consistency between test laboratories and ultimately increase confidence in body armor.

ASTM's subcommittee on personal protective equipment (E54.04) encourages all interested parties, particularly manufacturers, to join in developing potential future standards:

To purchase standards, visit www.astm.org and search by the standard designation, or contact ASTM Customer Relations (tel +1.877.909.ASTM; sales@astm.org). ASTM welcomes participation in the development of its standards. Become a member at www.astm.org/JOIN.

CONTACT Technical Information: Casandra Robinson, National Institute of Standards and Technology • Gaithersburg, Md. • tel +1.301.975.2546 | ASTM Staff: Mary Mikolajewski • tel +1.610.832.9678 | Upcoming Meeting: June 27-29, 2016 • June Committee Week • Chicago, Ill.