The What, Why, and How of a Certificate of Destruction

Document shredding isn’t just space-saving and convenient. The Certificate of Destruction (CoD) that comes along helps you meet the regulatory aspect too. This formal document helps you in the event of a lawsuit or an audit proving your compliance. So, whenever you hire shredding professionals, you must question whether or not they provide a Certificate of Destruction. This will ensure you have proof of the procedure and that your materials were destroyed beyond reconstruction, safeguarding your confidential information.

What Is a Certificate of Document Destruction?

A Certificate of Destruction is your proof of service describing the steps taken by your chosen shredding company for disposing of your documents with utmost care and precision. The certificate guarantees your material was adequately destroyed and in compliance with local and federal laws. In addition, the following are the materials that mandatorily require a destruction certificate for your peace of mind and to keep legal complications at bay:

• Financial statements
• Tax records
• Employment applications
• Employment records
• Expired contracts
• Medical records
• Credit statements
• Company hard drives

The certificate ensures that the shredding company has put the necessary steps in place to safeguard the security and reputation of your business, employees, and customers.

What Information Does A Certificate of Destruction Contain?

A document destruction certificate isn’t just any fancy piece of paper. It enlists some very crucial details concerning your shredding project. These elements are essential for record-keeping and compliance needs. You can expect to see a safe transfer of custody declaring that you (or the client) handed over the material to the company, which was destroyed at a specific time, date, and location. The certificate also confirms that the transferred information will remain confidential throughout its lifecycle. In short, the following may be mentioned on your Certificate of Destruction:

• Your business name and address
• Your representative’s details
• Service provider’s details
• Transfer of custody
• Transaction number
• Collection date
• Items collected
• Type of service
• Serial numbers of digital devices
• Processing procedures
• Fiduciary responsibilities
• Date and location of destruction
• Specific regulatory compliances
• Names and signatures of witnesses

The certificate is supplied immediately after the completion of the work, either on paper or in soft copy.

Do You Need a Certificate of Document Destruction?

There are simple yet strong reasons why you need a Certificate of Destruction. It:

• Validates 100% protection of your business information
• Warrants the chain of accountability
• Certifies the data disposal process performed
• Ensures you are meeting your legal obligations
• Provides peace of mind with permanent data destruction

Ultimately, the certificate outlines all aspects of the procedure performed, which may be helpful for your business in several ways.

Contact a Certified Shredding Company for Better Assistance

A Certificate of Destruction ensures that the paper shredding company collecting, transporting, processing, and recycling your data is acting responsibly in shredding your documents as mandated by the fundamental regulatory norms. Therefore, choose a service provider having a resilient approach to guaranteeing your sensitive information is no longer exposed to vulnerabilities, mitigating costly future risks. It makes sure there is no data breach during the lifecycle of the destruction process. And finally, the shredded material reaches a recycling facility for further processing. This also helps you reduce your footprint and help the planet.

Data-Struction Inc. is a family-owned and locally-operated shredding company with over 50 years of industry experience.