fbpx

Author: megan

Covid-19

Posted on by megan

Thank you / Diolch

Thank you to all the key workers out there at the moment – NHS workers, care organisations, retail workers, delivery drivers, waste collection workers, teachers and all the other people who are out delivering a vital service to keep our world functioning.   

It feels pretty frightening at the moment – being a human being, being a member of a community and being the owner of a small business.  Taclus is taking it one day at a time and we are grateful to the government support we have to keep our employees paid for the next weeks.  We are looking forward to seeing green shoots of hope as Spring arrives.

Business as Usual

Meanwhile, as licensed upper tier waste carriers we are on the government list of exempted industries allowing us to continue to operate and provide a service to customers.  So, we are available to ensure that organisations can comply efficiently with data protection legislation while working remotely. 

Along with regular collections, we are offering new ways to support our customers: with the rise in home-working, we are providing loose sacks and a from-home collection option.  We can also assist with sorting and bagging-up if you are planning a large clear-out and have no staff in the office to organize it. 

We are taking all precautions

Despite the on-going disruption, we are still getting calls from customers who are taking advantage of empty offices to have backlogs of paper cleared from storage rooms.  We are taking the following precautions to manage the risk around the spread of Covid-19:

  • In the course of our normal process, we use low-resistance face masks standard SR510 P3R, effective not only against the paper dust we have to deal with every day but also against viruses.  We often deal with things like damp/mouldy paper, flood-damaged paper etc, so we are well-practiced in dealing with health risks derived from contact.
  • In addition to masks, we use sanitiser rated to PSLog6, effective to 99.9998% (household bleach, soap and water etc. are effective to PSLog4, 99.99%).  Where we are wearing gloves, these are treated with the same sanitiser.

What precautions do we ask you to take?

Please ensure all tissues and paper towels are disposed of in your general waste bins. This will ensure that this material is burnt and reduces the risk of infection to our staff. These must NOT be placed in with your confidential material as this could be deemed as contaminated and our operatives will be advised to not empty or collect the containers.

Public Health England has issued the below guidelines for when someone in your organisation is suspected of having the virus:

“All waste that has been in contact with the individual, including used tissues, and masks if used, should be put in a plastic rubbish bag and tied when full. The plastic bag should then be placed in a second bin bag and tied. It should be put in a safe place and marked for storage until the result is available. If the individual tests negative, this can be put in the normal waste. Should the individual test positive, you will need to use a specialist clinical waste provider to collect the waste”.

And finally….

We will keep our customers informed of any changes to services or changes to maintain service reliability. In the meantime, please feel free to contact us if you have any queries.

Thank you for your ongoing support

Stay safe, everyone! Cadwch yn saff, bawb!

Can you afford NOT to use a shredding service?

Posted on by megan

The cost of being sloppy with your confidential waste shredding is spiralling.

The average fine for data breaches has doubled over the past year, City law firm RPC has calculated. It says the Information Commissioner’s Office imposed almost £5 million in fines between September 2017 and September 18, an increase of 24% on the previous year.

The average fine is now £146,000, a substantial potential cost facing any business which does not handle its confidential waste shredding or data storage correctly.

Recent high profile fines include the £500,000 imposed on credit-reporting company Equifax after a hacker gained access to the personal details of 15 million people, and the £500,000 imposed on Facebook for its role in the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Up to 87 million account holders had their data harvested without their knowledge.

The Facebook fine was imposed under the Data Protection Act 1998, rather than GDPR where the maximum penalty is up to 4% of worldwide annual turnover or €20m, whichever is greater. The incident fell outside RPC’s calculations because of the reporting time.

However, RPC says this increase in fines should be a “wake-up call” to businesses to ensure their confidential data is held and destroyed securely.

Given the fact SMEs make up 99.9% of the businesses in the UK, according to Department for Business, Innovation, and Skills statistics, most have fewer than 50 employees and the average UK annual turnover is around £500,000, the burden of the average fine for data breaches could be devastating for them.

How can confidential waste shredding help keep your online data safe?

One of the easiest ways for hackers to gain access to your system is to check through your waste paper or old hard drives and USB sticks to get information on passwords, software, hardware, and IP addresses which access it regularly.

Think about all the information we print out, write on sticky notes on our desks, or keep filed away in drawers, and all the data we have on old hard drives.

If you’re disposing of that sort of confidential paper waste or waste media, secure shredding ensures those details don’t pass into the hands of hackers.

It also ensures you’re meeting your requirements under GDPR, the General Data Protection Regulation.

Your data controller will need to show the systems you have in place to ensure the personal data you hold about staff, customers, and suppliers is secure.

Any documents you no longer need with personal details such as names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, National Insurance numbers, copies of ID documents such as passports and driving licences, or medical or disciplinary records would fall into the confidential waste category.

Why you should choose Taclus Confidential

  • We offer confidential paper waste, removable media, and hard drive destruction services at affordable prices.
  • Taclus Confidential holds the accreditations for ISO 9001:2015 for quality management and ISO14001:2015 for environmental management and has been certified by independent auditors IQS for both.
  • Taclus has also been selected as the confidential waste management partner for Keep Wales Tidy.

If you need advice on confidential waste shredding, contact our friendly and efficient team on 02920 676 714, or email [email protected]

Ever lost a memory stick?

Posted on by megan

Dealing with USB memory stick disposal correctly is so important these days; it could mean make or break for a business, as the recent case brought by the Information Commissioner against Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) shows.

After a member of the public found a USB memory stick the company had lost, HAL was fined £120,000 for failing to ensure the personal data held on its network was properly secured.

The memory stick was discovered on October 16, 2017 after it had been lost by an employee.

It contained 76 folders and over 1,000 files, and it had not been encrypted or protected by a password.

The person who found it took it to a local library and looked at the material on it and passed it to a national newspaper.

There was a small amount of sensitive and personal data held on it, including a training video which revealed 10 people’s names, passport numbers, dates of birth, and details concerning up to 50 aviation security personnel employed by HAL.

ICO Director of Investigations, Steve Eckersley, said: “Data protection is a boardroom issue and it is imperative that businesses have the policies, procedures and training in place to minimise any vulnerabilities of the personal information that has been entrusted to them.”

The ICO said its investigation found just 2% of the workforce of 6,500 had been trained in data protection.

The investigation also found the widespread use of removable media such as memory sticks in contravention of HAL’s own policies.

Once the company was aware of the matter, it reported what happened to the police, acted to contain the incident, and took on a specialist to monitor the internet and the dark web.

It took action to remedy the situation.

Read more about the case, which was brought under the old Data Protection Act because it pre-dated the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) here.

Under GDPR rules, serious breaches can cost companies fines of up to 4% of their worldwide annual turnover, or 20 Million Euros, whichever is the higher.

Taclus Confidential Managing Director David Lovatt said: “It’s easy to forget about removable media such as memory sticks and image cards, but they could cost us dearly if we don’t get them shredded securely. Ensure all your old memory sticks are collected and shredded by a company who can give you a certificate of destruction.”

Why you should choose Taclus Confidential – A South Wales secure shredding company

We offer confidential paper waste, removable media, and hard drive destruction services at affordable prices.

Taclus Confidential holds the accreditations for ISO 9001:2015 for quality management and ISO14001:2015 for environmental management and has been certified by independent auditors IQS for both.

Taclus has also been selected as the confidential waste management partner for Keep Wales Tidy.

If you need advice on dealing with the secure destruction of your confidential waste, contact our friendly and efficient team on 02920 676 714, or email [email protected]

Pollypockets – do we REALLY need them?

Posted on by megan

As a shredding company we see a lot of pollypockets, and I mean, A LOT! In fact, we see so many, that we have two different types of shredded paper – top quality shredded paper and pollypocket shredded paper.  As this blog writer was sorting through some of this last week, I wondered why we all use so many of these plastic pockets? And also, who invented them?  So today’s blog entry is answering these two important questions.

Who invented the pollypocket???

Well, we can thank Mike Townsend for this; he invented the punched plastic folder in 1986 (Wikipedia).  How on earth did we manage before then?!

Why did he invent them??

To protect papers from spillage, damp, crumpling and other messy things that have no place in a tidy folder.

Why do we use them??

Well, for all of the above reasons, but I think there’s a bit more to it than that. I think they are an office comfort blanket and that we use them to help us feel like we are doing a good job in the office.

For example, if we’ve put a lot of paper into pollypockets on a Friday afternoon, the world feels like a much better functioning place.  If I go to a meeting that is important to me and I have lots of papers to hand out, I feel much better entering the room with those papers safely wrapped in pollypockets.  And when my daughter is getting prepared for exams, pollypockets are an essential part of the preparation process!

So perhaps we use pollypockets because they just make us feel good!

But are they good for the environment??

Well, they don’t harm the environment. They are usually made of recyclable material and are recyclable.

Do you need to get rid of pollypockets before putting your paper into a confidential waste bag?

No, but it would be kinder to the environment to reuse them

So, to answer the question…..do we REALLY need pollypockets?  I think not.  But do we like them? We certainly seem to!   Thank you, Mike Townsend for your creation!

To find out more about Taclus Confidential and our shredding services, please do contact us.

Happy Friday!

Did You Know?

Posted on by megan

Weird facts about shredding that few people realise!

  • Did you know that the first paper shredder was invented by Mr Abbot Augustus Low from New York in 1909 – “to offer a more compact way of disposing of waste paper”.  In 1935, a German engineer named Adolf Ehinger created another shredding machine and he did so in a hurry…..its purpose was to shred hundreds of volumes of anti-Nazi propaganda before Hitler’s secret police found it.
  • Did you know that cross cut shredders became the norm after 1979?  This happened after Iranian revolutionaries stormed the American embassy and seized loads of shredded paper.  Because the shredders only cut one way, the revolutionaries were able to stick together the thin strips of paper to access stacks (literally) of confidential information.
  • Did you know that it is not illegal for someone to go through your rubbish?  What’s more, anything they find in there is fair game – including your personal details?
  • Did you know that only 10% of identity theft cases happen through online exchanges?  The majority of identity theft is via paper means.
  • Did you know that businesses need to safely dispose of your paper documents and that this is a legal obligation?
  • Did you know that shredding 1 tonne of paper saves, on average 17 trees and prevents air and water pollution?
  • Did you know that Taclus Confidential are here to help you help your business and to keep the identities of your customers or patients SAFE?

Contact us for more information

Cofion cynnes

Dave Lovatt

Director.

Time for a clear-out? Old contracts can leave you exposed….

Posted on by megan

Do you need a clear-out?

Have you been hanging on to old contracts for employees and clients?

If you no longer need them, it’s time to ensure they’re dealt with securely.

They’re legal documents, many contain confidential employee details, and if your competitors get their hands on them it could give them an edge over you in business.

What would happen if fraudsters got their hands on these documents? They could cause havoc for your business.

While most businesses deal with contracts at some point, this is particularly relevant for professionals and companies which use them regularly.

Solicitors, estate agents, car leasing firms, and service providers such as telecommunications companies can deal with contracts on a daily basis.

Employee and client contracts will often contain names, addresses, details of next of kin, phone numbers, personal emails, and banking details.

Losing them could lead to identity theft or bank fraud and claims for compensation from your clients or employees.

This could prove disastrous for your business financially and for your company’s reputation.

The General Data Protection Regulations mean your business faces severe penalties in the most serious cases of data protection breaches.

That could be a £500,000 fine or a fine of up to 4% of your business’ worldwide turnover, whichever is larger. This is a far higher penalty than businesses currently face under the Data Protection Act.

So, losing data on several contracts could mean your business facing ruin.

How steep a penalty businesses face depends on whether they have documented processes in place to protect employee and client data, and how quickly they react to breaches.

Consider using Taclus Confidential – a South Wales secure shredding company

Taclus Confidential provides lockable consoles which can be used when destroying old contracts.

Once placed in the console, only key holders can remove the documents which will be recycled.

Do you have old blank paper contracts? Make sure they’re destroyed, too. Otherwise, someone unscrupulous could claim they work for your business to obtain people’s data.

Do you have digital contracts on old hard drives or flash drives? Taclus Confidential shreds those drives securely, too.

Using a dedicated service like ours has several benefits:

  • Staff are checked and all data is destroyed securely
  • We provide you with certificates of destruction – so you can prove you have systems to deal with confidential data
  • We have a zero-landfill policy
  • Our prices are competitive because of our low overheads
  • We save you time and money by freeing up your staff to do their core work
  • Taclus Confidential holds the accreditations for ISO 9001:2015 for quality management and ISO14001:2015 for environmental management, and has been certified by independent auditors IQS for both
  • Taclus has also been selected as the confidential waste management partner for Keep Wales Tidy

Are you looking for an affordable secure shredding service in South Wales? If you need advice on dealing with the secure destruction of confidential waste, call our friendly and efficient team on 02920 676 714, or email [email protected].

Shredding? What’s the big fuss about?

Posted on by megan

I know that we’re a bit odd in that we think about shredding all day, every day, (except sometimes on Sundays), but what about you? It probably takes up a tiny part of your brain space. It you were asked to name a shredding company, you might be able to name the big one (Sssshhhh, we don’t mention it here), or maybe another, and if we’re really lucky, you may be on this site because you have noticed our eye-catching vans and handsome drivers about town. But the likelihood is that you don’t really know much about shredding and why it’s so important. So, this post is to give you a whistle stop tour of what the point of shredding is.

Privacy breaches put individuals and businesses at risk. Businesses much ensure that a customer’s data is protected both online and in paper/disc form and disposed of securely.

So, here’s what you need to think about when it comes to paper shredding services…

Storing your waste

Bags– For confidential waste in businesses where there is no public access, having a flexible bag service and collection whenever necessary is useful.

Lockable consoles– For businesses where there is public access on site, a large number of employees, or where sensitive data is held (such as in dental surgeries or legal practices), having lockable consoles keeps that data secure.

Deciding on the right paper shredding services

Each business needs to decide which service is right for them. Here are the choices…
One-off shredding– Perfect for the spring clean or annual office clear-out. We understand that our clients need to do this from time to time, so we don’t set a limit in the number of one-off collections.

Regular collections– Ideal for any business or organisation which needs regular assistance to keep on top of confidential paper waste.

Off-site shredding– Your confidential waste is taken in a secure van by vetted staff to our secure shredding facility and shredded to fine particles. You get a certificate of destruction and an audit trail so that you can prove your commitment to GDPR.

On-site shredding – Also known as mobile shredding, this allows businesses with sensitive data to see those documents shredded in front of them on their own site. This is useful for business such as care homes, solicitors, and accountants. You also get a certificate of destruction and an audit trail so that you can also prove your commitment to GDPR.

How you can choose the right paper shredding company

  1. Look at their accreditations and make sure they comply with the latest standards for quality and environmental management.
  2. Look at their current clients. Are they in a similar industry to yours or are they of a similar size with similar challenges? Shredding companies which are already servicing businesses similar to yours will understand the challenges you face.
  3. Get testimonials from clients. Look at their ratings on independent review sites.

Why should you choose Taclus Confidential?

Because we tick all the boxes above and more!

We offer confidential paper waste, removable media, and hard drive destruction services at affordable prices.

Taclus Confidential holds the accreditations for ISO 9001:2015 for quality management and ISO14001:2015 for environmental management and has been certified by independent auditors IQS for both.

Taclus has also been selected as the confidential waste management partner for Keep Wales Tidy.

If you need advice on paper shredding services, contact our friendly and efficient team on 02920 676 714, or email enquiries@taclusconfident

Happy Valentine’s Day to all our loyal and prospective shredding customers!

Posted on by megan
taculus heart

We’re feeling the love at Taclus and want to pass it on to you too……does anyone out there want to partner up with Taclus and be our valentine?! If so, do contact us or search the website for information on our services

Meanwhile, here are some interesting facts about Valentine’s Day:

Why is Valentine’s Day for lovers?

One of the most popular stories outlining the origins of Valentine’s Day dates back to 270 A.D. during the reign of Roman Emperor Claudius II who prohibited marriage because he believed single men made better soldiers. Bishop Valentine disregarded the Emperor’s wishes and continued to marry couples in secret until he was caught and thrown in jail for treason. He was executed on the 14 of February, which is why we celebrate St. Valentine’s every year on this date.

Red roses

We all relate the colour red with passion and love. Legend also has it that Venus, the goddess of love, favoured red roses above all other flowers.

Fun fact: Almost 75% of all people who buy flowers on Valentine’s Day are men and over 50 million roses are given each year on this day.

Valentine’s Day peculiarities:

  • White Day

The custom in Japan is somewhat different from our own. To express their love, women give men hand-made chocolate gifts on Valentine’s Day, while men reciprocate on the following month (White Day) by gifting a present that is three times as valuable as the gift they received on the 14th of February.

  • Black noodles for the lonely

In Seoul and throughout South Korea, women give chocolate to men on the 14 of February. On the 14 of March, men show their love by gifting candy to their girlfriends and wives. All the single ladies and men who did not receive any candy or chocolate grieve on the 14 of April (aka Black Day) by going out and eating black noodles. Who knew?!

  • A ban on Valentine’s Day

Believe it or not, this holiday is actually banned in Saudi Arabia. Gifting tokens of affection such as flowers, chocolates or presents is forbidden, and companies in the retail and hospitality industry are discouraged from promoting the holiday. Furthermore, people are not allowed to wear any red clothing; selling red objects on this day is likewise prohibited.

Are you really GDPR-compliant?

Posted on by megan

It’s been around nearly three years now and all the initial systems have been put in place; now is the time to re-visit the question – are you really GDPR compliant in the way you run your business?

Over the Christmas break I was talking to a friend casually about our work and by chance she brought up that her workplace (a housing association) didn’t really seem to have any rules or regulations about confidential waste. More than that, she said that some people disposed of EVERYTHING securely, while other parts of the office disposed of NOTHING securely……(depending on where they were sat in the open-plan office maybe?). This was so surprising to me – after all, I thought, surely everyone is aware of the dangers of data security by now? But seemingly not. It was a sharp reminder to me that there are still many organisations out there that would benefit so much from understanding the rules and then ensuring that the rules are carried out…..so here is an update of what’s what in the GDPR world…..

There are five key areas where you need to review how your business operates:

  1. How good is your cyber security?

How do you keep your computers, laptops, phones, and other IT equipment safe?

You need to be safe from someone hacking into your systems and someone spreading viruses.

Is your security being looked after by a reputable firm? That’s one of the best ways to ensure your data is protected. Even then, check what steps they are taking to ensure they comply with the new rules. Ask for regular reports.

Buying systems in such as invoicing systems or CRMs? Ask the suppliers how they will help you comply, or will they put you, and themselves, at risk of a fine?

  • Where is the data you hold?

You need to know what data you have, where it is stored, and how it is being used or processed.

That could include MailChimp or other emailing systems, CRM systems, website contact forms, cloud storage systems, spreadsheets, or documents on your laptop or phone.

It could also include physical documents, including confidential waste.

  • What are your processes?

They need to have data protection built in from the start. That means, how you get the data, how you store it, who processes it, and the legal basis for using the data, all need to be considered before you collect it.

The rights of the people mentioned in the data need to be recognised and honoured from the start. For example, there is a right to be forgotten which means you need to work out how to inform people you have their data, and how they can request you delete it.

  • What is the legal basis for holding and processing data?

You can process data under GDPR rules if you have:

  • Consent from the subject of the data for the explicit use you plan – for example, you will need specific consent to hold data on a mailing list, not just provide an opt-out box. You’ll also need to specify how regularly you’ll check with the data subjects.
  • A contract which means you need to hold and process it – for example, holding a guarantee.
  • Passing it on to save a life or in the vital interest of the subjects in another way.
  • If you must hold it in the public interest (based in law).
  • Your interest in processing the data is legitimate and doesn’t outweigh the interests of the person involved. This would mean passing an Information Commissioner’s Office Legitimate Interest Assessment.
  • How will you deal with confidential waste?

Whether in paper form or on flash drives, image cards, or old hard drives, confidential waste could well hold personal data.

So, you will need to have processes in place to ensure they are dealt with and destroyed securely.

A costly data beach could come from the insecure handling of documents, for example.

Outsourcing your confidential waste to a reputable, experienced secure shredding company will help you comply with GDPR. Can you think of anyone?! Yes, at Taclus we are just the people for the job and would love to talk you you about how we can help you.

Who will help you?

The GDPR Alliance includes software firms, law firms, and security specialists, and its members help businesses become compliant with the new GDPR rules. You can find out more about them here.

They will help you put plans in place to cope if something goes wrong and there is a data breach.

The Information Commissioner’s Office has a section on its website with handy tips, advice, and documents. You can find it here.

Why you should choose Taclus Confidential – A South Wales secure shredding company

We offer confidential paper waste and hard drive destruction services at affordable prices.

Taclus Confidential holds the accreditations for ISO 9001:2015 for quality management and ISO14001:2015 for environmental management, and has been certified by independent auditors IQS for both.

Taclus has also been selected as the confidential waste management partner for Keep Wales Tidy.

Are you looking for an affordable and secure shredding service in South Wales? If you need advice on dealing with the secure destruction of confidential waste, call our friendly and efficient team on 02920 676 714, or email [email protected].

GP, dental and other healthcare practices – act now!

Posted on by megan

GP, dental and other healthcare practices hold a great deal of sensitive information on paper and on computers.

As GDPR becomes part of our daily life now, we are all aware of the potential it brings for far higher fines for an organisation which breaches it. So as January comes to an end, this is an excellent time for GP and dental practices to review how they deal with their information.

At Taclus, we recommend that you outsource your secure shredding to us (of course)!

Here are 7 excellent reasons you should consider using us:

  • Patient records – There are many sensitive items on a patient’s records. From the history of their treatment to their medication, addresses, phone numbers, and notes about potential future treatment. It is still common for many practices to hold paper records, and if they fall into the wrong hands this could result in a practice getting into serious trouble with the health authorities.
  • Appointment cards – This could give identity thieves and burglars information about patients such as their name, address, and when they will be out of their homes for dental appointments.
  • Out-of-date advice pamphlets – Medical advice is often updated, and pamphlets become out of date. It’s important that patients get the most current advice, so secure destruction of old pamphlets will ensure they won’t leave with the wrong literature.
  • Staff rotas – You need your staff to be secure, and someone unscrupulous getting hold of their shift patterns could cause them problems. Shredding them is the answer.
  • Old hard drives – A great deal of data could be left on old hard drives when you upgrade computers and laptops. It’s important this is destroyed correctly. Simply wiping the hard drive can often just mean wiping the sitemap, and the information is still on there in some form. The best way to ensure your security is shredding the hard drive.
  • Other media such as phone SIMs, USB sticks, and image cards – It’s amazing how much information we have on our smartphones, USB sticks, and image cards these days. They should be treated in the same way as a computer and they should be shredded securely.
  • Saving your staff time – It can take hours to fill a few bags with shredded items if you’re shredding it yourself. It can also be far too much for your office shredder! They often can’t cope with the amount of shredding which needs to be done in a modern dental practice. So, it’s both cost-effective and a good use of your employees’ time if you outsource this to a secure provider with a proven track record.

Why you should choose Taclus Confidential – A South Wales secure shredding company

We offer confidential paper waste and hard drive destruction services at affordable prices.

We are fully accredited for ISO 9001:2015 for quality management and ISO14001:2015 for environmental management..

We have been selected as the confidential waste management partner for Keep Wales Tidy.

We are the friendliest bunch of people in the business! We are also the best value and offer the best service!

If your GP, dental or healthcare practice is looking for an affordable and secure shredding service in South Wales, or if you need advice on dealing with the secure destruction of confidential waste, call our friendly and efficient team on 02920 676 714, or email [email protected]