SECURITY SEAL

ISO 17712:2013 Security Seals

What is ISO 17712? ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is the world’s largest developer of voluntary International Standards. A standard is a document that provides requirements, specifications, guidelines or characteristics that can be used consistently to ensure that materials, products, processes and services are fit for their purpose. ISO International Standards ensure that products and services are safe, reliable, and of good quality. The ISO 17712 establishes “uniform procedures for the classification, acceptance, and withdrawal of mechanical freight container seals. It provides a single source of information on mechanical seals which are acceptable for securing freight containers in international commerce.” ISO Standards For Security Seals The current ISO 17712 standard requires independent confirmation in three areas:
1. Testing to determine a security seals physical strength (as barriers to entry).ISO 17712 defines three types of classes of seal strength or barrier capacity: “I” for Indicative; “S” for Security; and “H” for High Security. C-TPAT requires the use of “H” class seals. Suppliers must use independent third party test laboratories to validate a seal’s classification. Labs must be accredited according to ISO/IEC 17025 (General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories) to perform testing specific to ISO 17712.	2. Auditing of manufacturer’s security-related business processes. Poor security-related practices can undercut the effectiveness of a high-quality security seal. ISO 17712’s Annex A defines over two dozen required practices, such as facility risk assessments and access controls to production and storage areas. Suppliers’ conformance with Annex A should also be demonstrated through an independent certification provider that is accredited to audit compliance with the ISO standards.	3. Seals be designed and constructed with tamper indicative features that generate tell-tale evidence of tampering.
ISO17712:2013 COMPLIANT HIGH SECURITY SEALS May 15, 2014, the deadline date for all High Security Seals to be compliant with the new requirements of ISO17712:2013 – the international standard for mechanical seals. For seals to be compliant they must be categorized and marked “H” as High Security Seals when undergoing mechanical testing by an independent ISO 17025 accredited laboratory (Clause 5) and the manufacturer must be certified to both ISO9001 and ISO17712: Annex A. The new requirement for High Security Seals is that they must also be compliant with Clause 6: Evidence of Tampering. Clause 6 requires the manufacturer to have a documented and audited process and test specification in place in its quality manual for all High Security Seals in its product range. Clause 6 is a valuable addition to the seal standard emphasizing the importance of continuous improvement of tamper resistance and tamper indicating features on security seals.

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