Why Shred?
Regulatory compliance or “Why shred?”
Protect Your Confidential Information!
There are MANY reasons to use Shred Source. Every business today creates an immense amount of confidential information. Trash and recycling bins can be packed with vital and revealing documentation which can get into the wrong hands too easily. Therefore, in addition to saving you storage space and costs, your shredded material will be safe from “dumpster divers” with our confidential shredding services. You will gain peace of mind knowing your confidential documents have been shredded into tiny particles meeting all federal and state size standards. Our high speed totally automated trucks can shred up to 6,000 pounds per hour.
FACTA
FACTA (Fair & Accurate Credit Transaction Act) Disposal rule specifies that companies “must properly dispose of such information by taking reasonable measures to protect against unauthorized access to or use of the information in connection with its disposal.”
This federal law was designed to reduce the risk of consumer fraud and identity theft created by improper disposal of consumer information. This applies to virtually every person and business in the United States, and violators can expect potentially severe penalties. You wouldn’t want to be held responsible for someone’s personal confidential information leaking out, would you? Think about the effects that would have on the reputation of a business. Identity takes a lifetime to build, and only a second to lose. Using a NAID member like Shred Source saves you the time and worry in being compliant with FACTA.
For more information on FACTA, please visit FTC WebSite
HIPAA
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act is a federal law to prevent abuses of personal health information, including unauthorized access. It is administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and it is enforced by the U.S. Office of Civil Rights. This law applies to any and all organizations or individuals who retain or collect health related information. Failure to confidentially shred health information is no longer reasonable or acceptable, and why jeopardize everything to save pennies? If audited, you will be asked to show what you are doing to comply with HIPAA, and demonstrating that you use a confidential shredding service to destroy all discarded paperwork can be a significant signal to auditors that you are taking HIPAA seriously.
OUT DATED RECORDS SHOULD BE DESTROYED ON A REGULAR SCHEDULE
The period of time that business records are stored should be determined by a retention schedule. No record should be kept longer than this retention period. Not adhering to a program of routinely confidentially shredding stored records can be negatively construed in the event of litigation or audit. The new Federal Rule 26 requires that, in the event of a lawsuit, each party provide all relevant records to the opposing counsel within 85 days of the defendant’s initial response. If either of the litigants does not fulfill this obligation, it will result in a summary finding against them. By confidentially destroying records according to a set schedule, a company appropriately limits the amount of materials it must search through to comply with this law. From a risk management perspective, the only acceptable method of discarding stored records is to destroy them by a method that ensures that the information is obliterated. Documenting the exact date that a record is destroyed is a prudent and recommended legal precaution.
For more information please contact Shred Source today (888) 835-7288 | Free Quote Request
Confidential shredding services for residential and business clients including mobile shredding services, pick up shredding services and off site confidential shredding services.
Shred Source can help reduce your liability with a Certificate of Destruction for all confidential shredding services for HIPAA and FACTA compliance.
