Using Office Shredders can be risky (and costly) …

Many firms still rely on an office shredder for the disposal of unwanted confidential documents. An information security risk assessment will quickly hi-light the pitfalls and hidden costs of their use, or non-use…

The frustrations of office shredders…

Using office shredders is boring and they often jam when files and documents are impatiently shoved in too quickly.

Likewise, they can choke on a CD or when the bag is full and no one has ordered replacements the shredder is left with a notice ‘out of service’.

When the engineer has been and released the jam or the delivery of empty sacks arrives, staff revert to laboriously breaking down documents so papers can be shredded one by one.

All this takes away how important the destruction of documents is.

Your staff are valuable

At a tricky time for the recruitment and retention of personnel the deployment of staff switches to other more pressing matters that can add value to a business.

To get the shredding done means hiring a temp which makes the costs massive, and besides – who would give a temp the chance to view sensitive personal information.

Other risk (and hassle) factors:

It is easy to forget that office shredders need servicing and consumables as well as safety testing. Failure to maintain office shredders can cause them to overheat and in extreme cases catch fire.

The removal from the shredder of filled bags weighing 20kg may again put the shredding out of action until the site caretaker has time. When the bags are removed, they tear easily and leave spillage around the office.

The default temptation of the above is for documents to be left un-shredded whilst other important tasks deemed more urgent take priority.

Sensitive information can be exposed to prying eyes…

When the systematic destruction of sensitive files and documents fails, they are left lying around the workplace and pile up around the workplace. Piles of unsecured and sensitive documents are a treasure trove to prying eyes. This poses a real risk to hard-won reputations as well putting the personal details about staff at risk.