5 Tips for Handling Office Equipment Disposal

Do you have a computer or copier that has seen better days? Does the announcement that Windows will no longer offer any support for Windows XP after 2013 cause you heartburn?

If so, you are not alone. Many law offices keep their equipment until it breaks or becomes too frustrating to use.

If you have finally decided to replace your older office equipment, you have to do something with the equipment when you remove it.

Old equipment may contain confidential information that we do not want to share. This is true for equipment you do not even think about such as fax machines, copiers and even telephones which can store data.

What is the best way to make sure that your old office equipment is data-free? Here are some tips for safe disposal:

1. Decide what you want to do with the old equipment. This is a very important step in the process. If you are not going to resell or donate, you can simply take a hammer to the hard drive to destroy it.
2. Choose your data cleansing software. To resell or donate, removing all data from the hard drive is crucial. Find a program that works for you or hire a professional if you are not comfortable doing this yourself.
3. Reinstalling necessary components. Computers come with an emergency restore disk that reinstalls the operating system so that it will work. This disk should be used to reinstall the operating system and be included with the computer when sold or donated.
4.  If you are not reselling or donating, recycle. There are regulations applicable to electronic equipment and recycling that need to be followed.
5. Create an office disposal policy. To ensure everyone in the firm knows what needs to be safely disposed of, have a written policy as part of your Office Procedures Manual.

Leased equipment should include information in the contract regarding data removal, and you should read the contract clause carefully to protect the confidential data that the equipment stores. If you are unsure about the wiping process for leased equipment, contact your leasing company for a full explanation of their policy.

The important issue is to make sure that your data does not walk out the door with your old equipment.

Lawyers Mutual recently published a risk management handout, “Office Equipment Disposal Policy,” to assist you with equipment removal. This handout includes a sample policy and form.  It also includes information regarding several data cleansing software options if you choose to use that method instead of physically destroying the hard drive.

Samantha Cruff is the Marketing Communications Coordinator at Lawyers Mutual. Contact Samantha for information regarding our available risk management publications at 800.662.8843 or samantha@lawyersmutualnc.com.