The Missing Link in the “Chain of Custody”

When talking about sensitive documents, a chain of custody is a crucial element to have control over. Each link in the chain of custody refers to someone who has handled the documents up to the moment they are permanently destroyed.

In offices that perform their own shredding or who relocate their documents to be shredded off-site, the chain of custody has been stretched to the breaking point. So many people have handled the documents and the gap between the initial disposal request and the final destruction is so great that any number of factors could go wrong. Suddenly, a problem occurs as a result of leaked documents, and no one can be truly held accountable because of missing links in the chain of custody.

Prevent these crisis situations by keeping your chain short and documentable as a result of using only professional, on-site document shredding services. Doing otherwise puts countless people at risk with no one on the hook if something goes wrong.

Why On-Site Document Shredding Strengthens the Chain of Custody

The beauty of on-site document shredding is that it greatly simplifies the process of destroying sensitive materials. Cities from Charlotte to New York where slowing down work for even a second to do some peripheral task can cost you, on-site document shredding provides a convenient, time-saving option that also happens to be incredibly secure.

Instead of placing responsibility on a company employee with the important task of eliminating sensitive materials, your employees can simply deposit documents to-be-destroyed into a secure, locked storage console. No one in the company can access the consoles once the papers have been deposited, effectively ending the chain of custody from your end.

When the on-site document shredder Customer Security Professional (CSP) comes as a part of their regular schedule, they empty the consoles into a wheeled tip cart that is also locked. They then fasten the cart to a chute on the back of the shredding truck, which lifts the materials into the chute and securely shreds them so that there is no trace remaining. The strips are also commingled with thousands, if not millions, of other pieces of paper, making reconstruction an impossible task.

At no point does the shredding employee directly handle the documents, eliminating the chance for materials to somehow escape. We gladly comply with company policies to document the arrival of our CSPs to keep track of exactly who touched what and when. This level of oversight completely eliminates the chances for “missing links” in the chain of custody, and our adherence to ISO 9001 standards ensures that our practices are transparent and consistent.

Never Break the Chain

Almost every business handles sensitive information daily. Employee social security numbers, patient health records, legal client records, trade secrets and other such documents can cause serious collateral damage in the wrong hands. Adhere to only the safest practices by avoiding the dangers of in-house shredding.

Call only professional document shredding service with the experience and expertise to get the job done properly. Keep the chain of custody strong the whole way through.