Is your company carelessly throwing its business secrets out with the trash?

Every day your business generates hundreds of important documents, many of which end up in trash baskets. And that could have serious consequences for your business or to the lives of your clients, customers, even patients, if they fell into the wrong hands.

Just think about… …giving your competition an advantage. Files with confidential corporate financial or customer information could give your competitors an unfair advantage. Whether you are a large corporation or a small company, you could be a victim of  “dumpster diving.”

…letting criminals steal your customers' identities. Identity theft has become the fastest growing crime in the U.S.  Personal information about your clients or patients could be used to “steal” their identity or otherwise harm them. And, it could be argued in a court of law, that you had a responsibility to make sure this information was not made public, and are, therefore, liable for damages. Definitely, not a pretty picture. … violating State laws. In March, 2002 the State of Washington enacted SHB 2015. Effective on June 13, 2002, this legislation makes it mandatory that entities (that's any business or government agency, except federal) who collect non-public information from individuals "must take reasonable steps to destroy personal financial and health information and government-issued identification numbers in its records when the entity is disposing of records it no longer retains." That means businesses are liable if personal information, recorded or preserved by any means - paper, electronic or digital files - gets into the wrong hands. More information about this legislation can be found at http://www.leg.wa.gov/wsladm/bills.cfm

… violating Federal laws. In 1974, the Federal government enacted the Federal Privacy Act to protect the privacy of individuals and businesses. All agencies of the government, and the private sector, can be held liable if any personal information is released to unauthorized individuals. In addition, in 2001 the government implemented HIPAA: The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which recognizes a class of documents as “protected health information” and has created standards for security and privacy of that information. The entire act, as published in The Federal Register, can be seen on-line at http://www.hipaacode.com/Final%20Regulations.htm. The basic activities required to satisfy the intent of the law are that patient records, not involved in an investigation, audit or litigation, should be destroyed on a regular schedule as approved by the proper officials at the facility. According to the Guidelines established by the AHIMA, records should be destroyed so that “there is no possibility of reconstruction of information.” (For more information on paper document destruction as well as microfilm, microfiche, laser disks, and magnetic media you may visit the AHIMA web site, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services web site or the official DHHS web site for Administrative Simplification.)

What's the answer? Shredding is the most cost-effective and secure solution for your record destruction requirements – because if it's not shredded, you have no idea where it goes. And, in addition to “resting easy” about the fate of your sensitive material, once it’s been shredded, it is recycled offering you an environmentally responsible solution for your record protection management.

What should be shredded?

• Accounts Payable and Receivable Confidential financial information Business correspondence Drafts of contracts Obsolete contracts Obsolete personnel records Arbitration/grievance files Job applications Insurance forms and records Medical records Legal documents Payroll records Classified documents Customer or client lists Client/customer records Ballots
• Obsolete Negotiables (bearer bonds, coupons, etc.)

Basically, any information you wouldn’t want to fall into the “wrong hands” and leave your company vulnerable should be shredded on a regular, ongoing basis. And don’t be concerned if your information isn’t just paper. ADG can destroy virtually all types of documents – turning computer disks, tapes, microfilm, microfiche, x-rays, foam core and more into unrecognizable waste in a matter of minutes.