All companies are subject to certain legislation in the United States, for a variety of reasons. An important component in each of these includes the need to protect highly confidential matters; this typically refers to sensitive print and digital records. Secure document destruction is a key solution highlighted under many of these laws and failure to implement such practices can result in legal action.
SAFESHRED is highly knowledgeable in relation to the specific necessities dictated by federal and state governments to ensure you remain in compliance. We have outlined some of the many regulations to educate yourself on below, all of which incorporate document shredding and how each may relate to your particular industry.
HITECH
The Health Information Technology for Economic & Clinical Health act was established by the federal government under the American Recovery & Reinvestment act of 2009. The primary purpose behind HITECH was the introduction of the requirement for HIPAA-covered entities to inform victims if it has been determined that there was a breach of unsecured protected health information (PHI). Additionally, it goes into detail concerning the necessities that must be met in order for the breach of notification stipulation to be cleared. Organizations protected under HIPAA are also legally directed to notify HSS and the media if a breach occurs that targets more than 500 victims. Specifically, the act states that the encryption of electronic information and the physical destruction of paper PHI are the only recognized processes that could exempt you from a breach notification obligation. If you own and operate a healthcare company, you can learn more details about HITECH here, or talk to a representative of SAFESHRED in Los Angeles, for advice and direction on this topic.
GLBA
If you’re affiliated with the financial industry, it’s extremely critical that you or another employee is trained and up-to-date with the particulars of this act. The Gramm-Leach Bliley Act was put in place in 1999 with the goal of protecting sensitive consumer information held by financial institutions. This refers to any data used to get a financial product (SSN, address, name etc.), any information received from a transaction associated with your financial products or services, or any data received about an individual in relation with providing such financial products and services. You can review a guide issued by the FTC on how to stay compliant with GLBA here.
FERPA
The Family Education Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that aims to secure students’ educational records. The law relates to anyone that collects funding under programs administered by the US Department of Education. To stop unauthorized disclosures of sensitive data, it is recommended that related entities use secure measures, such as document shredding to dispose of sensitive records. Failing to dispose of records properly may be recognized as an unauthorized disclosure, leaving businesses in vulnerable positions, in the hands of the federal government. For further education on FERPA, check out the Department of Education’s official portal on the act here.
Verifying that your company is up to snuff on the law is crucial to stay alive and competitive. SAFESHRED’s quality shredding services supply you with an essential step in ensuring your company doesn’t have to deal with the trouble of legal matters. Keep focusing on what you do best, and we’ll handle the rest!
Get in touch with our professional team in Los Angeles to speak to us in regards to your specific shredding needs and how we can help your company improve its security efforts. Call 1-800-987-4733
