Do I Really Need a Certificate of Destruction for Shredding?

Who Needs One?

If you think about it, lots of companies shred their documents in house without the benefit of a Certificate of Destruction. They may assume that as long as nothing goes wrong, they don’t need one, but it is also an important document to have when everything is going right. In fact, it provides you with proof of your compliance with data privacy laws.

What Is a Certificate of Destruction?

A Certificate of Destruction is a formal document that shows you have had information securely destroyed. It serves as your proof of compliance with data privacy laws that require proper handling of private and sensitive information.

What Is the Purpose of a Certificate of Destruction?

The certificate offers proof that your company went through the proper steps of disposal of private information. It protects you and your company by showing that you transferred the documents to the shredding company for the end of their lifecycle, called “final disposition.”

In case of an audit, the certificate will serve as your record of compliance with the state and federal laws requiring specific methods of maintaining data privacy, proving that:

• You are serious about protecting private information
• You are aware of and following the proper process of handling private information from “cradle to grave” as required by law
• You are following retention period requirements rather than keeping all information indefinitely or destroying it before the end of its required retention period

What Is on a Certificate of Destruction?

The certificate records specific details about the destruction of your documents, including:

• Transfer of custody, declaring that the client officially turned over the documents for destruction
• A traceable transaction number for audit authorities
• Date, time and location of the transfer and the destruction
• Confirmation that the company accepts that the documents being transferred are private and confidential
• Cites the material processing procedures
• Identifies witnesses to the destruction confirmed by signature

DIY Shredding Does Not Provide Proof of Destruction

When you shred your own documents in house, not only do you risk the possibility that they are not destroyed beyond recognition or reconstruction, but you also don’t have third-party verification that proper shredding took place.

Wiggins Shredding provides a full range of secure shredding services to the businesses and residents of Pennsylvania and Tri-State Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey. We are compliant with all federal and state data privacy laws and provide Certificates of Destruction after shredding takes place. For more information or to book shredding service, call us at 610-692-TEAR (8327) or complete the form on this page. Our friendly shredding and destruction experts are standing by!