Document Destruction Best Practices Every Business Should Follow

Whether your organization currently has a document destruction policy or is just starting one, establishing well-defined guidelines is important. Negligent shredding practices can put your staff, clients, and entire organization at risk. In this blog, we offer several best practices for destroying your documents.

Adhere to Final Disposition Schedules

Not retaining records long enough can cause legal issues, and keeping documents longer than necessary can also increase liability exposure for your company. This is why your records inventory should have final disposition dates. When documents reach a final disposition date, have them professionally shredded.

Establish a Shredding Routine

The longer you wait to destroy documents the greater the risk of identity theft and business fraud. Partnering with a shredding and destruction provider ensures routine shredding of confidential information. Locked collection containers are delivered to your office free of charge. Your employees simply drop confidential files through the slot. On a weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or quarterly schedule, the contents of your collection containers are picked up by a screened service technician and destroyed on-site at your facility or securely transported off site for destruction at a shredding plant.

Comply with Privacy Law Requirements

According to the following laws, businesses must verify their information destruction processes:

• HIPAA
• FACTA
• SOX
• GLBA
• GA Senate Bill 425

When a professional service provider destroys your documents, you receive a Certificate of Destruction noting the time, date, and method of destruction and proving your compliance with these laws.

Destroy First, Then Recycle

Recycling paper is better for the environment than sending your documents to a landfill, but you should always destroy documents before recycling them. When sensitive documents land in a recycling bin, they can be stolen by thieves. A document destruction service combines secure shredding and paper recycling. After your documents are destroyed, the shredded waste is shipped to a paper recycling plant. There, the shredded material is baled, pulped, and recycled into a variety of business and consumer products.

By following these tips, you can reduce of identity theft and business fraud risks to your organization.

Records Management Center provides businesses throughout Augusta, Evans, Thomson, Martinez, GA, Aiken, SC, as well as the Central Savannah River Area, with professional shredding and destruction solutions. To learn more, please contact us by phone or complete the form on this page.