Document Shredding Tips Back

Document Shredding Tips

Competently disposing of confidential documents has never been more important. You cannot reasonably expect documents to remain private once you have disposed of them. If you fail to take adequate care when disposing of confidential documents you may breach your duties under the Data Protection Act 1998. Careless disposal of confidential documentation can cause considerable loss, particularly if documents fall into the hands of those with malicious intentions. Identity theft and other forms of fraud are all too common in the twenty first century. Fines under the Date Protection Act 1998 reach as high as £500,000.

To aid businesses with the important task of competently disposing of documents, we've rustled up a list of our top tips for doing so.

#1. Instruct a competent document shredding firm

We can't think of an easier solution to staying compliant with the law when it comes to disposing of sensitive documentation. At Secure Storage Services we dispose of millions of documents each year for businesses and organisations across the United Kingdom. Once you select our services you almost kiss good buy to your responsibilities under the Data Protection Act 1998. The mere act of hiring a certified document destruction firm is enough to show you've taken 'reasonable steps' under the 1998 Act.

Click here to learn more about our document shredding service.

We advise our customers on the amount of time which must pass before documents can be legally be destroyed. Document archiving is available for documents such as legal and financial records. We store a comprehensive range of different media. All our services are compliant with the Data Protection Act 1998 and a certificate of destruction is provided upon destruction.

#2. Ensure you invest in appropriate shredding equipment

If you choose to shred your own documents, make sure you invest in sufficiently capable equipment.

Organisations such as schools and law firms must shred hundreds of thousands of confidential documents each year. The task requires quality shredding equipment. 'Domestic' shredding equipment really does not suffice.

If you are not careful you could easily breach your legal responsibilities in keeping documents confidential. This is because cheap shredding equipment slices documents into long strips. Even once shredded the document's content is still legible to the determined fraudster. Identity thieves could use documentation for fraudulent purposes. Instead insist on quality shredding equipment. Check your shredders are of the 'cross-cutting' variety. A cross-cutting shredding cuts documents from two directions rather than one. This in turn makes life a lot more difficult for identity thieves when attempting to make 'head and tail' of shredded documents.

If you hire Secure Storage Solutions your documents are destroyed using industrial shredding equipment. Our shredders work at speeds 50x faster than even the most 'high tech' of office shredding equipment. What would take your staff 10 hours to complete takes just 15 minutes using our industrial shredding technology.

#3. Train staff on basic shredding techniques

Having staff shred thousands of documents is surely a task they won't thank you for. For schools in particularly it is common for staff to make a 'mad dash' to shred documents before the start of the academic year. Make sure staff receive ample training on how to use your shredding equipment. Used incorrectly, even quality shredding equipment leaves documents in a legible state should identity thieves later acquire their control. Staff training is often the weakest link in the chain. Again, hiring a competent 'off-site' or 'on-site' shredding service takes care of these risks.

#4. Shred documents regularly

This tip applies whether you shred documents in-house or if you choose to outsource your shredding responsibilities. Instead of shredding thousands of documents at once, instead allocate time each week to keep shredding responsibilities to a manageable level. You will appreciate the extra space this affords you.

#5. Go paperless

This tip is perhaps the 'nuclear bomb' of paper disposal advice. Going paperless all but eliminates the need to dispose of documents each week, month and year. To learn the benefits of going paperless click here.  For practical tip on going paperless click here.

The expense of going paperless is usually outstripped by the savings you make in the long term. To enquire about going paperless, contact us today.

#6. Shred everything you absolutely don't need

This would include junk mail, CDs, statements, redundant documents which aren't required to be archived and financial 'pop puri' such as bank stubs and cancelled cheques. To do otherwise is considered 'hoarding'. 

Conclusion

We hope the above shredding tips improves your current shredding practices. If you would like to learn more about our services contact us today on 0151 293 4000 or contact us here.