Why You Should Consider Using a Professional Shredding Company

Posted on 18th March 2020 in Chaffinch News

The Data Protection Act was passed back in 1998 and since then, it has been a legal requirement for businesses to securely dispose of paperwork that contains any confidential information. The introduction of GDPR (the General Data Protection Regulation) has placed even greater emphasis on the need to protect the data of customers, employees and suppliers and failure to comply can result in hefty fines for businesses. The updated UK Data Protection Act is known as The Data Protection Act 2018 and incorporates GDPR into it.

Documents that should be securely shredded

When it comes to knowing what to shred and how to store documents though, it can sometimes be confusing, so we’ve detailed the kind of documents you should routinely be shredding to avoid any potential data breaches.

Copies of employee documents such as birth certificates and driving licences
Cancelled and/or voided cheques
Credit and debit card receipts and statements
Any documents containing names, postal addresses, phone number and email addresses
Employee ID documents, ID and badges
Tax forms including P45’s and P60’s
Quotes, orders and invoices

Whilst some businesses choose to handle document destruction themselves in-house, It’s worth noting too, that the shredding of sensitive documents can’t always be handled effectively by consumer-grade shredding machines.

That’s because some shredders can still allow sensitive information to be identified after shredding has been completed. For example, old-school strip shredders actually offer very little protection as documents can easily be reassembled and crucial information identified by those intent on stealing data.

When it comes to the destruction of data in accordance with GDPR regulations, businesses have an obligation to ensure that confidential documents and data is also stored in a secure, lockable storage box, console or bag prior to shredding.

Data Privacy Laws & Your Duty of Care as A Business

A data breach could lead to serious legal and financial repercussions as GDPR and taking data protection seriously is not a choice. It’s a legal requirement.

Using a professional shredding service like Chaffinch Paper Shredding provides you with a full audit trail and once your documents have been destroyed, you’ll also be provided with a document of destruction so you can rest assured that any potential for data breaches will be mitigated.

We also provide secure receptacles for you to store documents in whilst they await collection, so outsourcing your data destruction to a professional shredding company sound business sense.