Document loss may bring devastation

But, what happens if that important document is missing? Would it spell disaster for the people responsible for its care and for those who need the record?

Disastrous duo

File rooms tend to face two types of disasters. One is the potential threat of natural events in the Midwest such as tornadoes, lightning and flooding. Second is a far more common but less obvious problem – the ongoing battle of the paper bulge.

Typically, people take precedence over paper. So when more space is needed, records are often moved to basements or ministorage. This makes them more susceptible to both types of disasters.

People expect access for the legal life of a document and beyond, but reality may be quite different. Severe weather, such as lightning, torrential rain or high winds can increase the vulnerability of paper documents. Basements and mini-storage units are especially susceptible to significant water damage. Tornadoes have destroyed blocks of homes and office complexes.

The second type of problem – too much paper, too little space – doesn’t happen as suddenly.

Document managers working in the midst of the gradual deterioration may not even recognize that their sound record management procedures are off-track. New hires may have misfiled documents, the filing area may be too full, and a filing backlog can slow down retrieval time.

Problems in the file room create stress and frustration, but the far greater danger is loss of documentation. Whether a single irretrievable misfile or the destruction of an entire record room, consequences can be devastating if that document is needed.

Prevention vs. recovery

Some documents can be restored; others are permanently lost.

The first step in developing a plan is to take a document inventory to understand risk and priority. The pros and cons of several options should be discussed to see what works best in individual situations.

Too often, documents are kept beyond what is required because it’s easier than purging files. The volume grows, causing more inefficiencies. Professional document management organizations can purge those files in a matter of days, which will help with the final decision.

The next step is to match retrieval and retention goals with budgets since solutions vary in up-front and ongoing expenses.

Questions to consider

If your record room is not running as smoothly as you would like, or you see that documents are not as secure as they should be, here are a few questions to ponder:

• Are all your record room documents in one location or spread out?

• Do most of your records have short, long, or permanent retention policies (more or less than seven years)?

• What percentage of your records are past their retention policy?

• Are active documents separated from inactive ones based on retrieval frequency?

• How quickly do you need to retrieve documents, and how satisfied are you with this function?

• Do you charge for handling retrievals?

• Is your department able to keep up with filing/re-filing?

• How often do you experience misfiles, and what is the approximate cost?

If you have valuable paper or film records stored outside of the record room, a simple option may be to move them to a secure location.

Most warehouses and ministorage, however, do not support archival preservation because of the extreme climate conditions, especially heat and humidity. The natural environment provided in an underground storage facility may be appropriate because it is further regulated with special equipment for optimum climate control.

In addition to security, managers need timely retrieval from storage. Unfortunately, when an organization tries to maintain its own off-site location, such records quickly drop “out of sight, out of mind.”

The alternative is to find a professionally managed facility for document storage and retrieval that uses strict procedures to prevent unauthorized access to information.

Scanning for space

Paper takes up lots of space and requires excessive handling compared to electronic files. Old microfilm or microfiche also takes longer to retrieve, plus it needs special equipment to be maintained.

Another option is for a company to scan the more active documents or to have them scanned by an outside company.

There are different scanning options available depending on how often a record is needed, but scanning will help clear the file room and prevent the threat of lost documents due to misfiling or other problems.

There is no standard answer as to what works best to protect against natural disasters or paper inefficiencies. The first step is to complete an inventory and risk assessment.

John Elkins is sales manager for SecureStore and the business division of EDCO – The Document People. He can be reached at www.retrievalnet.com.[[In-content Ad]]