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Security at the end of your Records or Files life
BRM appreciates the importance of the correct confidential
destruction of documents and files at the end of their storage
life. Recent horror stories in the media have drawn attention to
the need for carefully managed secure destruction and disposal -
no commercial entity or public body wants the ignominy of
confidential records and documents being found by the public.
Yet it is tempting for contractors to take bulk confidential
waste and process it either as land fill or as exported waste
paper. Shredding is the most effective secure destruction method
and the process should be carried out to BS8470 as outlined
below.
BS8470:2006 provides organisations with recommendations
for the management and control of collection, transportation and
destruction of confidential material to ensure such material is
disposed of securely and safely.
:
The BS8470 standard has the following requirements:
1. Confidential destruction premises
• Must have an administration office where necessary records and
documentation is kept for conducting
business.
• The premises should be isolated from other business or
activities on the same site.
• Organisations should have an intruder alarm installed to
PD6662, monitored by an approved BS5979 alarm
receiving centre.
• A CCTV system with recording facilities should monitor the
unloading and processing areas.
2. Contracts
• A written contract covering all transactions should exist
between the client and the organisation.
• Sub-contracted work should only be allocated to companies
following the recommendations in BS8470.
• In every case, clients should be informed if sub-contractors
are used.
3. Personnel
• All staff should be screened in accordance with BS7858.
• All staff should sign a deed of confidentiality.
4. Collection and retention of confidential material
• Confidential material to be collected should remain protected
from unauthorised access from the point of
collection to complete destruction.
• The destruction of confidential material should take place
within one working day from arrival at the
destruction centre.
5. Vehicles (off site)
• Should be either box bodied or have a demountable container.
• Where a curtain side vehicle is used, material should be
transported within a suitable sealed secure container.
• Should be able to communicate with home base by radio or
telephone.
• Should be fitted with electro-mechanical immobiliser or alarm
system.
• Should be closed and locked/or sealed during transit.
• Should be immobilised or alarmed when left unattended.
6. Vehicles (on site)
• Should be box bodied.
• Should be fitted with lockable and/or sealable doors.
• Should be able to communicate with the home base by radio or
telephone.
• Should not be left unattended when unprocessed material is
onboard.
7. Environmental issues
• Where practicable, end products should be recycled.
• If recycling is not practicable, the cost and convenience of
other methods should be taken into account.
• Landfill should only be used where no other method of disposal
is practical.
BSIA member companies incorporate BS8470:2006 into their
ISO9001:2000 and are inspected annually
by a UKAS accredited certification body. (details of the
standard reproduced here are accredited to BSIA)
The Date Protection Act 1998
Under the Data Protection Act, companies are responsible for the security of personal information. In October 1998 the revised, amended and strengthened Data Protection Bill became law (EC Directive No. 94/45/EC).
The law now extends much further than the 1984 Data Protection Act by including not only personal data held on computers but also data recorded in a manual filing system. Personal data is any information relating to an identified person. Any information gathered with the intention of being placed in any type of retrievable filing system will also be subject to the Act.
For responsible companies it is vital that when data is finished with, it is destroyed in a safe and secure manner. Any personal details which become publicly known could lead to the offending company being prosecuted for breaching its legal responsibilities.
BRM offers
archive storage, live file storage, document storage and daily
deliveries to businesses, financial sector, solicitors and
accountants in Peterborough, Northampton and Cambridge through
to North London. Our services include:
confidential destruction, shredding,
media storage and project management .
Contact us today on 0800 0747234 (or international +44 1733 405100), or by email (info@bigww.co.uk), for an
instant quote or to arrange a free relocation and risk assessment survey.
Or click on the menu bar to read more about us and the services we provide.
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