Standardization News

The U.S. National Institute of Justice (NIJ) recently issued a Federal Register notice that provides guidance to manufacturers of restraints and handcuffs on how to certify their products to meet a new technical standard (NIJ 1001.00) by Dec. 31, 2018. According to stakeholders, the new standard is more robust and allows for the introduction of new technologies and innovations.

NIJ is no longer managing the certification of these products, and criminal justice purchasing agencies will not have access to a key resource (Consumer Products List) for restraints certified to the old standard (NIJ 0307.01) after this date.

The Safety Equipment Institute (SEI), an ASTM International affiliate, provides the only certification program that has been recognized by NIJ for this new standard. When available, restraints certified by SEI will be identified on the SEI Certified Product List at www.SEInet.org.

“We encourage manufacturers to submit key documents and samples as soon as possible, since it takes six to eight weeks to set up a program and complete the initial certification process in advance of the deadline,” said Pat Gleason, SEI President. Gleason says manufacturers need to provide several documents that are required as part of the recognized certification program, which includes a completed SEI manufacturer’s agreement as well as both a complete product description and an SEI certification submittal form for each model that will be certified under this program.

According to SEI Technical Director Bill Fithian, SEI can then schedule a quality audit of each manufacturing location and provide instructions on how to prepare and ship the appropriate test specimens to a third-party lab (Intertek) for testing.

To initiate the process or for questions, contact Bill Fithian (bfithian@seinet.org).