Shredding services help keep offices organized and secure. Need help finding a reliable shredding service provider near you? Laws like HIPAA don`t explicitly say shredding is the only option for data destruction requests, but they do require proof of compliance that shredding services provide by providing certificates of destruction. For example, wills should never be destroyed. Documents relating to real estate transactions must not be destroyed, even if the period during which you must keep the documents in your jurisdiction has expired. Compliance with the law allows you to avoid hefty fines, a bad reputation, and other legal problems. Discover the best tips for complying with document destruction and information security laws in your organization. HIPAA was enacted in 1996 and the mandatory compliance date is April 14, 2003. All hospitals, doctors, pharmacies, health insurance companies, medical billing companies and all other companies operating in the healthcare sector must comply. The rules apply to all protected health information. The Health Identifiable Information Protection Standard requires companies to take administrative, technical and physical safeguards to protect the confidentiality of protected health information. An example of a security measure for the proper disposal of paper documents containing protected health information is that documents are shredded before disposal. Each jurisdiction has different rules about how long you must keep your financial records. Instead of keeping everything forever, check what you need to keep and how long you need to keep it.
Then you are sure to shred what you no longer need. Shredding is more than just a method of disposing of documents. It`s a way to protect sensitive information, keep customers and employees private, and prevent identity theft. It`s also the law – federal regulations like FATCA dictate how organizations must destroy records. Failure to comply with these rules can lead to massive fines, legal problems, and damage to your brand reputation. Without established methods of document destruction, your organization runs a high risk of identity theft and legal penalties for non-compliance. Working with a third-party shredding service goes a long way toward protecting your business and consumer information securely and in accordance with the law. With a variety of rules to follow for different types of documents and jurisdictions – not to mention considerations of what your clients want – it can be difficult to know how long you should keep your files. For some, it may seem easier to keep all your documents as long as possible.
Safe is safe, right? Shredding can be a sensitive issue for law firms. Can you really throw that document away or do you have to keep it? Legal documents Insurance Information Internal memos Investment, stock and real estate transactions Signed items Baggage tags Medical and dental records Papers with a social security number Payroll information Pre-approved credit card applications Phone logs Phone messages Orders Receipts with current account numbers Testimonials CV or CV Tax forms Transcripts Itineraries used Airline tickets Visitor logs These certificates are provided after shredding and help protect companies from lawsuits or audits by including details such as: Shredders are used to securely collect documents before shredding to avoid the legal consequences of losing sensitive information such as patient records. Certificates of destruction are official documents that contain detailed information on the destruction of paper and ensure that the shredding process complies with all relevant laws. No reason to keep old tax records longer than the IRS requires. In addition, all tax documents used to support these tax returns can also be destroyed. Keep records related to important life events – birth, marriage, divorce and death. Secure Sealing: Call us at (800) 747-3365 or fill out our form to receive free quotes from several secure shredding companies in your area. From on-site to off-site shredding options and more, find a service solution that`s right for you. At Security Shredding, our state-of-the-art cross-cutting and hammer mill plant cuts all documents to the smallest possible size while placing materials in a secure compartment. The materials are then sent to a specialized recycling center for processing.
To protect documents while they wait, shredding bins are used to safely store papers ready for destruction. Unfortunately, making sure your confidential documents are properly shredded and disposed of isn`t as simple as buying a $30 shredder from your local store and doing it yourself. The vast majority of personal shredders are not up to the task entrusted to them. These mills are usually equipped for less than 30 vertical cuts and no horizontal or transverse passages. In addition, all shredded materials usually end up in the same bin. If these documents fall into the wrong hands, document recomposition becomes a very real threat, and often only one or two strips of paper contain enough information to compromise your identity. From healthcare to financial institutions and other industries, it`s important to incorporate laws like HIPAA and FACTA into document shredding policies. Is your home a paradise for pack rats? You are not alone. When you start spring cleaning, wondering what to keep and what to shred? We reviewed the experts` advice and prepared this summary of how long they recommend retaining certain documents. Place our handy chart near your shredder as a guide. New York attorneys can „satisfy the `copy` retention requirements by retaining one of the following: original records, photocopies, microfilming, optical imaging, and any other medium that preserves an image of the document that cannot be altered without detection.“ Most importantly, your decision to keep or sell a record is based not only on the rules of jurisdiction, but also on your client`s interests.
The rules may say you can throw away a file after seven years, but will your client be interested in this information longer? The FACTA`s „appropriate disposal measures“ include implementing and monitoring policies and procedures that require the burning, spraying, or shredding of papers containing consumer information so that the information cannot be read or reconstructed. This also applies to the destruction or deletion of electronic media containing consumer information.