Overview
EN ISO 21043-2:2020 (ISO 21043-2:2018) is a European adoption of an ISO standard that defines requirements for the forensic process related to the recognition, recording, collecting, transport and storage of items of potential forensic value. The document covers scene assessment and examination activities both in the field and inside facilities, and includes quality requirements to safeguard evidence integrity throughout the forensic workflow. It explicitly excludes procedures for data recovery from digital storage media (see ISO/IEC 27037), while noting that storage media can still yield physical evidence (e.g., fingerprints, DNA).
Key topics and technical requirements
The standard sets out requirements and expectations rather than step‑by‑step procedures. Major technical topics include:
- Recognition and assessment of scenes - criteria to identify items of potential forensic value and to plan examinations.
- Recording and documentation - consistent recording practices, scene notes, and reporting to support reproducibility and court presentation.
- Collection and packaging - methods to collect, package and label items to prevent loss, contamination or degradation.
- Transport and storage - secure transport chains and storage conditions to protect items and maintain evidential value.
- Item handling and control - chain of custody, traceability, and control of evidence movement.
- Quality management - documented policies, SOPs, record control, monitoring, corrective action, peer review and staff competence.
- Personnel, equipment and facilities - competence requirements, appropriate consumables, PPE and facility controls.
- Detection, screening and enhancement techniques - general requirements and controls for techniques used to detect and enhance traces.
- Health, safety and contamination minimization - included in informative annexes to reduce risks to personnel and evidence.
Practical applications
EN ISO 21043-2 is used to:
- Standardize crime scene operations and forensic workflows.
- Improve evidence integrity for laboratory analysis and court use.
- Establish organizational quality systems for forensic units.
- Guide packaging, labelling, transport and storage policies for chain‑of‑custody preservation.
- Inform training and competence assessment for first responders and forensic staff.
Who should use this standard
- Crime scene investigators and first responders
- Forensic laboratory managers and technicians
- Police evidence officers and transport/logistics teams
- Quality managers and accreditation bodies in forensic services
- Legal professionals who need to understand evidence handling standards
Related standards
Keywords: EN ISO 21043-2:2020, forensic sciences standard, evidence handling, chain of custody, scene examination, evidence transport and storage, forensic quality requirements.
