Document Shredding Do’s and Don’ts

Document shredding may not be rocket science, but it requires following best practices. In this blog we explain the do’s and don’ts of document shredding.

Don’t: Shred Without Reviewing Your Documents

Always review your documents before shredding them. Doing so helps you avoid disposing of information you may need.

Do: Follow Document Disposition Schedules

Holding onto document longer than necessary increases your exposure to identity theft and business fraud. Know when your documents will expire and promptly destroy them.

Don’t: Use an Office Shredder

Do you really want to spend your valuable time feeding sheets of paper into a shredding machine? Using an office shredder to destroy your paper records is inefficient, unsecure, and costly.

Do: Partner with a Shredding Company

A qualified and reputable shredding company saves you time and money and protects your privacy. They place secure collection containers throughout your office, enabling confidential documents to be disposed of quickly. Depending on the volume of information your business needs to destroy, the contents of your security collection containers are professionally destroyed on site every week, two weeks, four weeks, or eight weeks.

Don’t: Ignore Privacy Regulations

Consumers have a legal right to have their privacy maintained by businesses that collect their information. HIPAA, FACTA, GLBA and several other privacy laws require businesses to destroy expired personally identifiable information (PII) and protected health information (PHI). Ignoring the document and disposal requirements of these regulations can lead to non-compliance fines.

Do: Stay Compliant

Know what privacy laws apply to your business. If you are unsure, ask your lawyer. To prove your due diligence, invest in a shredding service that provides a Certificate of Destruction after destroying your documents.

Don’t: Have Your Documents Shredded Off Site

You can never be sure what happens to your documents when they leave your possession. An unethical off-site shredding provider may not destroy your documents. They may ship your intact documents overseas for recycling which puts your information at risk.

Do: Use an On-Site Mobile Shredding Service

Mobile on-site shredding offers a verifiable chain of custody. Your shredding provider brings secure collection containers to your office, allowing documents and entire files to be dropped through the slot without the need to remove staples, paperclips, or even folders. A security-screened shredding representative collects the documents and deposits them into a mobile shredder while you watch.

Wiggins Shredding serves Pennsylvania and the Tri-State Area of Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey with secure shredding and destruction services. We are your trusted, locally-owned paper shredding resource!

For more information on our shredding services, please call us at 610-692-TEAR(8327) or complete the form on this page.