Without proper care, a standard office can be crawling with hazards. Trails of loose wires, overloaded sockets and faulty electrical equipment are just some of the commonly known workplace dangers. But there are many risks lingering in offices that have the potential to cause irreversible damage to important documents.

If documents are not stored digitally or in a secure archiving service, it is easy for heaps of paper to overcrowd an office. This can cause several health and safety violations and cause irreversible damage to records, putting businesses at risk of breaching GDPR—the recent data protection regulation.

Jonathan Richardson, managing director at secure archiving specialist Russell Richardson, said: “Not only can cluttered paper create litigation risks and destroy files, it can also impact productivity and project a poor brand image. If staff members are wasting time by searching through heaps of paper, they cannot service customers efficiently.

“These hazards and risks are unnecessary and can be prevented with an organised storage process. Although it may not seem like the most pressing issue for businesses, the consequences can be dire if ignored.”

Theft and data breaches

Security must be considered through the entire lifecycle of paper records. Information must be stored efficiently in a secure storage facility or saved online as a password-protected file.

If documents are no longer needed, they should be disposed of correctly and made unrecognisable to eliminate risks of ‘dumpster diving’ (when criminals search through bins to find valuable information).

Liza Andersin, HR Director at findcourses.co.uk, said: “In order to prevent mishandling, businesses should shred any unnecessary documents such as employee records from 10 years ago that could contain sensitive data and numbers.”

If sensitive data is breached, companies could be fined up to £17.4 million or 4% of the company’s annual global turnover, whichever is higher, under the GDPR regulations.

Mishandled documents

Previous research shows that 58% of office employees are still printing out and hand-signing documents received via email, and 27% choose to print out any PDFs they need to review.

Paper files kept in an office environment risk being mishandled by staff members which could result in tears, creases or the document being contaminated by unclean hands.

“A common cause of paper damage in an office is spilt coffee or tea. It not only creates a mess but also makes the document near impossible to recover. This can be easily avoided by keeping a digital version of the file only, or by storing the paper document inside a protective wallet in a drawer,” Liza continued.

One good tip is to keep files away from spaces where employees eat lunch or have their morning coffee, as records that come into contact with food and drink can attract insects and generate mould growth.

Prevent deterioration

Many office environments will use air conditioning and heating systems during working hours, which causes the temperature to fluctuate. Humidity levels must not rise above 65%—to prevent mould growth—or drop lower than 40%, which causes paper to become dry and brittle.

Jonathan added: “To prevent documents from decaying, the storage environment must be dry, clean, protected from pests and have a moderate temperature.

“Off-site storage facilities are equipped with industrial safety systems and are dedicated to maintaining the quality of documents, with temperature and humidity levels monitored at all times.”

Files left under natural light are often exposed to dust, which can cause chemical deterioration as well as insect infestations. To avoid this, paper records should be kept in plastic wallets or another form of protective cover.

What are the safety hazards?

The lack of an organised storage system for paper records can cause accidents and put staff members in danger. Here are some examples:

• Documents scattered across the floor can create a slippery surface.
• If documents are stacked high, they could fall and cause physical harm to workers.
• Large piles of records could make it difficult for employees to reach emergency exits.
• As paper is highly flammable, a large amount of loose paper in the office could become a fire hazard.

Jonathan added: “To prevent documents from flood damage, keep them in sealed plastic wallets and don’t store them on or near the floor. To avoid the risk of fires, files should never be left near electrical equipment, including space heaters.

“If files are left unattended and staff members do not have a protocol to follow, businesses would be greatly susceptible to accidents and losing important business records.”

It’s formerly been reported that around 60% of private businesses never recover from a fire.

“Businesses should keep one set of originals or photocopies of documents in a portable filing system that can be grabbed in case of an emergency. They should also save them electronically and then store in a safe location,” Liza continued.

Although companies have the option to store documents digitally, the threat of cyber-crime has never been so heightened. If businesses do not have the time or budget for online security systems and training for staff who handle online files, it may be more beneficial to keep physical versions of records in a storage facility. This would mean documents are protected from damage, loss or theft, while also saving space in the office.