Destroying documents is incredibly important when you regularly keep confidential and sensitive information; a common practise for destruction is through the medium of paper shredding. Whether it’s bills, financial statements, marketing plans, employee files, or even delivery packages it’s important that they’re disposed of correctly and safely.
But how much of a priority should you make this task, which on the surface seems mundane? Well, it turns out that it should be one of your highest priorities and here are four reasons as to why.
Keeping things tidy
Firstly, let’s start with the simplest reasons, keeping on top of your paper shredding to eliminate all of your clutter and consequently reduce the risk of it being a fire hazard. If you’re working in an office, then a build-up of paper can quickly turn from a nuisance into a very serious hazard. Many offices take the traditional approach of purchasing a standard paper shredder and designating an employee to keep on top of the disposal maintenance. But, there are actually other ways of approaching the situation such as third-party shredding services lebanon in which can actually end up being more cost-effective.
Complying with the law
It seems obvious but something that many can simply overlook or not take very seriously; everyone has the right to privacy when it comes to their personal information. This is taken incredibly seriously, so much so that there are actual laws in place to ensure that companies and third parties take proper care in the correct disposal of any information they become privy to. If you’re not on top of your data management and fail to dispose of it in the correct manner, you can and will be penalised if that data contains sensitive or confidential content. Likewise, if you’re holding the information but you fail to protect it sufficiently then you should prepare to face the legal consequences.
The environment
Another point that seems obvious, but is important to keep in mind. A multitude of trees are cut down in order to make the paper that this information is printed onto, so to protect our all-important forests it’s vital to recycle, which is where paper shredding comes into it. Another method is to strive towards a ‘paperless society’, which means only using paper as a last resort, something which is becoming increasingly possible with the rise of the internet.
Identity Theft
Cases of identity theft are becoming more and more present in today’s society. Something as simple and common as a delivery box with a name and address on can provide someone with the tools to steal your identity. So, it’s vital that tools such as paper shredders or other similar devices are used to prevent this from happening.
So, hopefully, now you understand why paper shredding and properly disposing of documents is incredibly important. Not only for privacy reasons, but also to help keep our environment strong and healthy, everyone has their part to play in ensuring their companies are compliant. Luckily, there are companies such as On Time that offer services such as onsite shredding, which you can learn more about here: ontimeshred.co.uk/our-services/onsite-shredding