Do You NEED A Certificate Of Destruction?

If you use a shredding company to destroy your sensitive documents, you may or may not receive a certificate of destruction after every job. The document states what was done to shred your papers and media and that the process was secure. You may be wondering if you really need this certificate if the documents are already destroyed securely. The answer is yes, and here’s why.

What does this certificate prove?

A certificate of destruction says that you are in accordance with document destruction laws. It also shows that the company you work with cares about the security and sensitivity of your documents. The following are just some of the laws that your shredding company should follow with their procedures.

HIPAA

Businesses in the healthcare industry handle personal health information (PHI) on a daily basis. If you work in this industry, it is vital that both you and your shredding company understand document destruction rules under HIPAA. There is no set method for destruction, so you can evaluate your unique situation and find the best one for your needs.

Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002

The Sarbanes Oxley Act was passed in 2002 and focuses on document retention periods. This is important for any business because it will help keep shredding schedules on track. The information provided is general, with categories including employee payroll records and correspondence. A tax professional or lawyer may be able to help you with your document retention schedule.

FACTA

This law was created in 2003 and focuses on protecting the personal information of clients. All businesses must have and use some form of identity theft protection program and take reasonable measures to destroy sensitive information. This goes for paper documents as well as electronic records, hard drives, and other media.

What is on a certificate of destruction?

Some of the information you may see on this document includes the time and location the shredding took place, the document destruction company, and a transfer of custody. The certificate also shows that the company understands and agrees that the information being shredded is private. You should see a certificate number and terms/policies of the shredding company as well.

Choosing a shredding company that provides a certificate of destruction

Trustworthy shredding companies offer other advantages like being NAID certified, providing shredding bins, and performing off site document destruction. By working with a shredding service that gives you these options along with a certificate, you will see many benefits. These include having peace of mind that everything has been destroyed securely. Other advantages include:

• Knowing you are following the law
• Protecting your private information and that of your customers
• Keeping your shredding processes efficient
• Shredding on your schedule
• Live CCTV footage of your documents being destroyed
• Helping the environment by recycling

Shredding with UCI Document Destruction

To learn more about secure shredding for businesses, contact UCI Document Destruction today. We offer Services in Amarillo and Lubbock and the surrounding areas. You can reach us at (806) 372-7722 in Amarillo or (806) 722-0544 in Lubbock, or Contact Us by email. We are AAA certified through the NAID and recycle all of our paper waste.