Document Shredding Services Key Terms

Learn terms related to document shredding services

If your business deals with customer personal or financial information or patient health information, an appropriate document shredding company will be important. Document shredding rules are governed by several acts including the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA). You will want to make sure that your document shredding company abides by these guidelines. When looking for document shredding services, the following key terms are helpful to know.

National Association of Information Destruction (NAID)

The National Association of Information Destruction provides a voluntary certification process in which document shredding companies can participate. This involves an audit with a security professional, who ensures that the standards and guidelines for proper document destruction are followed.

Certificate of destruction

Issued by document shredding companies, a certificate of destruction provides proof that your documents have been destroyed. This documentation is often required to meet compliance standards for document destruction.

On-site shredding

On-site shredding is a method of shredding in which a mobile unit comes to your office and provides document shredding. This is a popular option for document shredding because it allows you to witness the destruction of your documents.

Unbroken chain of custody

An unbroken chain of custody refers to the process in which documents are securely handled by the document shredding company. The custody of your documents are secured in locked cases and taken to their destination safely.

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)is a law enacted to protect patient information. It provides guidelines on health information, how it is stored, who is able to access it and how it is to be destroyed. Document shredding companies can aid in compliance with HIPAA guidelines about data destruction.

Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA)

The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) is an act that governs personal credit information and how it is accessed. It helps to protect private credit information and it requires that documents with this information are disposed of in a secure manner.

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