Compliance Alert

"Security first" was the message for document destruction firms offered by three panelists at a session of the National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) Annual Conference, held in April in San Antonio.

At a session on how to cultivate a culture of security, three individuals with law enforcement and corporate security backgrounds urged attendees to put formal security policies in place and to enforce them strictly.

Background checks, employee training and education and field audits to watch employees at work were all urged as good practices for document destruction firms to establish.

Tom Hamilton of Hamilton Consulting Services in Houston urged attendees to make sure security messages were communicated regularly to employees, perhaps in the form of staff meetings. He said a culture of security is exemplified by employees "knowing and understanding what security is and how to achieve it."

Hank Adema of Metro Comp Investigations, New Lenox, Ill., urged shredding company owners and managers to "play devil’s advocate" when evaluating company security policies. Adema also urged them to conduct "integrity checks," such as random field audits, to ensure compliance.

When visitors can walk right into a plant or office, that signals a problem, said Jim Dallas of Dallas Security, Glenside, Pa. The signing in of all employees and visitors should be a first signal that a secure environment is being established, he said.

The panelists agreed that identity theft has emerged as a critical issue in people’s lives and that customers will hold information destruction firms to high standards.