ISTA 2A New 2011 Edition for Packaged Products is now available

ISTA 2A, Packaged-Products 150 lb (68 kg) or Less, has just been released as the 2011 Edition.  The new revision includes both technical and editorial corrections.  It is available for sale from Document Center Inc.

This standard is a partial simulation test for individual packaged-products.  ISTA suggests that it should be considered for the evaluation of packaged-products intended for international distribution.  The package and product are considered a unit in this procedure.  They also suggest that not only should an organization use the procedure to evaluate the performance of a packaged-product, but also to compare different package and product design alternatives.

At Document Center, we often get clients asking about the issue dates on ISTA procedures like the 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B and so on.  This is because ISTA releases each of their procedures annually with the new year as the date on the cover in the upper right hand corner.

To really understand the situation for each standard, you’ll need to look at the left hand sidebar on the cover of each.  There you’ll find a section called “Version Date.”  Underneath it will have the date of the last technical change and the last editorial change, if applicable.

A technical change is a change that impacts the technical content of the standard.  It has the potential to impact the validity of the application of the standard.  If you use an ISTA procedure, and there is a technical change to the document, you should get the new edition just to make sure you’re still in compliance.

An editorial change, on the other hand, is a modification to the document that does not impact the technical content.  It could be a change in the address of a referenced organization, a modification in the format of a table, or some other change for the sake of editorial improvement of the document.  It can be important to have if you’re getting audited, but not so important if all you’re interested in is the technical content.

ISTA has also been providing an additional type of change to their documents – a change they’re calling Clarification.  An example of this would be the new edition of the ISTA 3H which has the new clarification, “Before You Begin Compression revised for clarification when using the Apply & Release method.”

If you need any of the ISTA procedures or have any additional questions, please contact Document Center Inc. via our website at www.document-center.com, or phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com).  We’re always ready to assist you with your standards requirements.