Secure Destruction of Confidential Material – Ensuring your business stays legal

26 Sep, 2014

Did you know? Most organisations shred less than half of all documents containing sensitive or confidential information before disposal?

 

With a number of high profile cases including large banks, society has become more aware of their privacy and so companies have come under increasing pressure to ensure that all data held is safe and secure, even the data that they are wishing to destroy.

Are you disposing of confidential material properly?BS EN 15713 Secure Destruction of Confidential Material

It might be surprising but activities such as disposing of material along with the general waste is still very common and even large multinational companies can get caught out.

Such practices can mean that a company can run the risk of falling victim to people rummaging through your waste, searching for any piece of valuable information.

Failure to destroy material in a safe and secure manner can result in severe criminal action which can result in large fines (Up to £500,000) which can have an immense impact on the future of a business.

Not only can it have a direct financial impact, but it can also have a negative impact upon the reputation of a company which is very important to every businesses survival.

All data being held by companies is protected under the Data Protection Act which outlines the legal obligations that all companies must adhere to. It is important to note that this does not only cover data held in physical form but also data held on computers and electronic data storage. Therefore companies have to be careful when disposing of old computers.

 

The solution

There are countless articles detailing various activities that can be undertaken so as to safeguard a company while destroying confidential information but it is often difficult to decide which sources to listen to or even where to start.

Fortunately, there is a solution. The British Standard 15713:2009 Secure Destruction of Confidential Material provides a framework which formalises the processes and procedures that should be in place so as to protect your company from data leaks.

BS EN 15713 Secure Destruction of Confidential MaterialThe standard sets out the key conditions which must be adhered to by companies who destroy confidential information on behalf of their customers; the security of this information being integral to this.

Included within the standard are a number of conditions such as specific sizes to shred to, and how the destruction is monitored and controlled, as well as the following core aspects:

  • Security screening of personnel
  • Premises Security
  • How sensitive information is collected, retained and transferred
  • Security measures during destruction of materials
  • Management and control of confidential material destruction
  • Traceability of the destruction process

 

The benefitsBS EN 15713 Secure Destruction of Confidential Material

Implementing the BS EN 15713 Secure Destruction of Confidential Material Standard reduces the risk which the business is subject to through having a traceable framework.

Having such a framework will not only improve the confidence of the business in terms of meeting their legal obligations but also the confidence of employees involved in the process as they know exactly what is being required of them.

Additionally, having the standard in place will create a marketing opportunity. The standard will increase consumer confidence in your company as it is proof that you are taking the security of the information extremely seriously.

 

BS EN 15713 Secure Destruction of Confidential Material

If you feel that your company could benefit from the introduction of this standard, we would be delighted to help you in terms of its implementation and certification. This is a relatively small standard in comparison to others so those looking to introduce it needn’t be concerned about the amount of work involved.

That being said, due to its small size and there being a great deal of overlap between it and the ISO 9001 Quality Management Standard, we only offer it as a package with the ISO 9001. An additional reason for this being that this will ensure that all clients will get the most of this standard.

Based on this, the package for both the standards is at a reduced rate compared to their implementation separately. For all companies currently running the ISO 9001 Quality Management Standard, the above decision to only offer the standards as a package will not have an impact and you can implement the single standard.

 

Further Information

If you would like further information regarding the BS EN 15713 Secure Destruction of Confidential Material Standard and the implementation process its self, please do not hesitate in contacting us direct. This can be done via phone, email or visiting our website which are all set out below.

Telephone: 01905 670 303

Email: info@isoqsltd.com

Website: https://www.isoqsltd.com/iso-certification/bs-en-15713/

ISO Quality Services Ltd are proud to specialise in the implementation and certification of the Internationally recognised ISO and BS EN Management Standards.

Do you want to get ahead of your competition? Win more tenders or save time and money on reoccurring issues? Contact us today on 0330 058 5551 or email info@isoqsltd.com.

Alternatively, you can request a quote by filling out our enquiry form and a member of our team will be in touch shortly.

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