Old paperwork can accumulate quickly. Before long, filing cabinets, storage boxes and desk drawers are filled with documents you no longer need.
However, throwing paperwork into the regular garbage or recycling bin may expose personal, financial or confidential information. Any document containing information that could identify a person, reveal account details or expose private business activity should be handled carefully.
Here is a practical guide to the documents homeowners and businesses should consider securely shredding.
Even an ordinary piece of mail can contain enough information to create a privacy risk. Before disposing of personal paperwork, check it for names, addresses, account numbers, signatures and other identifying details.
Documents that should generally be shredded include:
When you are unsure about a document, consider what someone could learn from it. If the paper contains information you would not want a stranger to see, shredding is the safer option.
Businesses handle confidential information every day. This may include information about customers, employees, vendors, finances and internal operations.
Sensitive business records can include:
Employment applications, background checks, payroll information, performance reviews, disciplinary records and benefit documents may contain highly personal information.
Customer files can include names, addresses, phone numbers, payment information, account details and purchasing history. These documents should not be placed in an open recycling container.
The Federal Trade Commission’s Disposal Rule requires certain businesses and individuals that possess consumer-report information for a business purpose to take appropriate measures when disposing of it. Shredding is one recognized method of securely destroying paper records.
Invoices, banking information, tax records, financial statements, budgets and payment reports can expose a company’s finances if they are disposed of improperly.
Contracts, case files, correspondence and other legal records may contain confidential information about the business or its customers.
Healthcare providers and other covered organizations must protect patient information throughout its lifecycle, including disposal. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services identifies shredding, pulping, burning and pulverizing as examples of methods that can make paper-based protected health information unreadable and unable to be reconstructed.
Meeting notes, sales reports, pricing information, company policies, product plans and outdated marketing materials may also reveal information that should remain private.
Confidential information is not limited to paper.
Computers, external hard drives and other electronic storage devices may still contain recoverable information after files have been deleted. Formatting a drive or placing an old computer in the recycling bin does not necessarily guarantee that the information is permanently gone.
Physical hard-drive destruction helps ensure that information stored on the device cannot be recovered. Sanmandy provides hard-drive destruction alongside its paper shredding services for businesses and organizations that need to securely dispose of outdated equipment.
Not every old document should immediately be destroyed.
Before shredding, make sure the document is no longer needed for legal, financial, tax, operational or personal reasons. Original documents such as property records, active contracts, estate documents, current insurance policies and identification should be stored securely rather than destroyed.
Businesses should establish a written records-retention policy that explains:
Because retention requirements can depend on the document and industry, consult your accountant, lawyer or compliance professional before destroying records you may still be required to maintain.
The right shredding service depends on how frequently you generate confidential paperwork.
One-time shredding is a practical choice for:
It allows you to clear out accumulated paperwork without entering into an ongoing service commitment.
Scheduled shredding is better suited to businesses that regularly produce sensitive documents. Secure containers can be placed throughout the workplace so employees have a designated location for confidential material.
Documents are then collected and destroyed on a recurring schedule based on the organization’s needs. This reduces the chance of confidential papers being left on desks, placed in ordinary recycling bins or stored longer than necessary.
Sanmandy Document Destruction has served Ohio homes and businesses since 1983. The family-owned company offers mobile, scheduled, one-time and off-site document shredding, as well as hard-drive destruction.
On-site services allow customers to witness documents being destroyed at their location. Sanmandy also provides secure collection containers for scheduled customers, offers Certificates of Destruction and recycles shredded paper.
Whether you have several boxes of personal paperwork or need an ongoing shredding program for your organization, Sanmandy can create a secure and convenient solution.
Protect your information before it leaves your hands. Call Sanmandy Document Destruction at (330) 435-4455 or request a free quote to schedule your shredding service.
