High security seals must comply with new ISO standard from May 15

HIGH Security Seals, such as bolt seals and cable seals, are required to comply with the new requirements of ISO17712:2013, the international standard for mechanical seals, from May 15.

For seals to be compliant they must be categorised and marked "H" as high security seals when undergoing mechanical testing by an independent ISO17025 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 emphasising the importance of continuous improvement of tamper resistance and tamper indicating features on security seals, a statement from Mega Fortris, a provider of compliant high security seals, said.

"All users of ISO17712 high security seals/C-TPAT compliant seals, should ask their seal supplier for the necessary documentation proving the seals will still be compliant after the May 15 deadline," it added.