New ISO 17712:2010 High Security Seal Standard
Effective March 1, 2012, the current International Organization for Standardization (ISO) mechanical seal standard (ISO/PAS 17712) will be replaced with a new ISO standard--ISO 17712:2010. According to C-TPAT, companies are not expected to discard seals currently in stock. However, after companies have exhausted their current stock of high security seals, it is recommended by CBP that companies purchase seals, which are compliant with the new ISO 17712:2010 standard.
The new standard compliance requirements:
Testing to determine a seal’s classification for physical strength (as a barrier of entry).
Process auditing of the manufacturer’s security-related business practices.
Testing (pass/fail) of a seal’s ability to indicate evidence of tampering.
A new 18mm minimum width diameter for bolt seals.
Reduced possibility of cargo theft or tampering.
Reduced possibility of unauthorized material being inserted into containers or other instruments of international traffic (IIT).
Reducing shipping delays that result when seals are missing or broken.
When inspecting seals for signs of tampering, tamper-evident seals should allow personnel, with the appropriate training, to detect compromised seals easier.
Prior to purchasing new high security seals, request documentation (a lab report) from the seal vendor confirming that the seals are ISO 17712:2010 compliant.
Third Generation of the ISO 17712
The ISO 17712:2010 standard was first published in September 2010 and included an 18-month transition period (to March 2012) to deal with technical issues. The new standard is the third generation of 17712. The first was a Publically Available Specification (PAS) published in 2003 and the second was a revision to PAS 17712 published in 2006. Each revision builds on previous requirements.