How to Avoid Costly Document Restoration

The Scene of a Disaster

You get a call that there has been an accident. You rush to the scene to find first responders attempting to contain the area and limit the loss. You can’t believe this is happening to you. Your company’s documents are the victim of a disaster.

Information has power and losing access to your records and documents is serious enough to bring your business to an abrupt end. The exorbitant cost of document restoration, the loss of information, the damage

to your reputation and down time due to recovery is physically, psychologically, and financially expensive. Unfortunately, disasters do happen, but the likelihood of a disaster happening can be minimized by preventing it in the first place.

Prevent the Disaster

Two of the most serious disasters are fire and flood, which can be caused by other events like natural disasters, arson, and equipment failure.

1. Fire

• Comply with all fire regulations. Although they seem a bit costly and tedious to accomplish, they have purpose, and the upfront cost of compliance can be far less than the restoration cost.
• Install and test fire alarms, smoke, and heat detectors regularly. They will assist with early warnings of a fire.
• Partner with the local fire department and request that they inspect your facility. Their experience and knowledge will detect areas of concern that you may have overlooked.
• Enforce a no smoking or open flame policy in the vicinity of records.
• Store flammable liquids in locked metal cabinets away from people, records, and sources of heat, sparks, or flame.
• Check and repair or replace worn or damaged electrical wiring, plugs, and outlets.
• Keep your records storage area clean and tidy.
• Label vital records clearly so that they can be retrieved quickly in an emergency.
• Partner with a records storage provider and store as many records as possible in their records center.

2. Flood

• Store records in areas away from heating, water, or drainage.
• Construct shelves at least 6 inches off the floor.
• Use high-quality storage boxes.
• Inspect areas where water exists on a regular basis. Inspect gutters, drains, and pipes.
• Control humidity levels.
• Turn off water if the building will be unoccupied for a length of time.
• Install flood alarm systems.
• Avoid storing records in building areas where roofs are flat rather than pitched.

Protect the Documents

Use these principles to help keep paper and electronic records protected and secure:

• Keep desks and record storage areas clean.
• Return records to their storage area when they are not in use.
• Organize and label records clearly for easy retrieval and filing.
• Back up electronic records regularly.
• Use robust, high-quality computer firewalls and virus protection software.
• Avoid having liquids or open flames near electronics.

Consider Professional Help

Your facility, quantity of records, or the size of your staff may prevent you from being vigilant with these preventative measures. You may also prefer to take the burden off your shoulders and feel more secure keeping your records off-site in a safe and secure environment.

Pacific Records Management offers safe, secure, and compliant records storage services in the Fresno, Stockton, Sacramento, Modesto, and Napa and Solano counties. File retrieval is quick and easy and we can help you avoid a potential disaster and the cost of restoration. Give us a call at 800-685-9034 or complete the form on this page.