H -- Body Armor Standards and Testing Technical Workshop

This special notice is to publicize the upcoming Body Armor Standards and Testing Technical Workshop. The U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST), Office of Law Enforcement Standards (OLES), in conjunction with the U.S Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice (NIJ), Office of Science and Technology (OS&T), is hosting a Body Armor Standards and Testing Technical Workshop on November 21- 22, 2005, at NIST in Gaithersburg, MD. The purpose of the workshop is to solicit comment and technical input from industry (body armor manufacturers; ballistic materials manufacturers; and ballistic fiber manufacturers), public safety agencies and organizations, the scientific community, research and development organizations, and other stakeholders as NIST and NIJ revise the ballistic-resistance of personal body armor standard. Specifically, we seek to gather information concerning performance requirements and testing methodologies that public safety officials and industry representatives feel should be included in future revisions to NIJ body armor standard. We invite public safety officials and industry comment and/or suggested operational requirements and testing methodologies, along with justification (e.g. research findings, testing data, and professional experience) for them. Specific topics of interest include, but are not limited to: validation of used armor performance; non-destructive testing/monitoring methods for used armor to ensure ongoing performance; improved requirements and testing protocols for new armor (e.g. blunt trauma, multi-shot impacts, contact shots,); numbers and sizes of samples to be tested; long-term performance of armor; artificial armor aging protocols to replicate field use; quality control and conformity assessments, third party testing, and loss of compliance. The workshop is open to body armor industry technical representatives, official representatives from public safety agencies and organizations, the research and development and scientific communities, and other stakeholders. Due to space limitations registration will be on a first-come first-served basis and limited to no more than two representatives per agency/organization. We also encourage the submission of technical input and/or recommendations regarding future revisions to the body armor standard, along with their justification, prior to the workshop (please see related FBO special notice RFI-2006-001 posted on October 27, 2005; that RFI contains links to the standards to be discussed). Those individuals wishing to attend this workshop must register online at https://conference.aspensys.com/NIJNIST/index.html by November 16, 2005. No registration fee is required for this event. Directions to the facility and additional information can be found on the website. Given the technical content being presented at this workshop, it is strongly recommended that only those individuals with scientific and technical knowledge and experience in the above areas register.