Taking into account the security levels of shredders for hospitals and healthcare facilities is vital. There is sensitive patient and medical data that you should consider protecting. Making sure your shredders are of the highest security level you need is important.
Investing in a high-security shredder for your patient’s sensitive data can ensure that it is destroyed completely. In fact, the confidentiality of the data is not compromised in any way. To safeguard health records, you must use a shredder with a specific security level.
The Different Levels of Shredder Security
In terms of security, paper shredders are classified as P-1 through P-7. Level P-1 is the least secure, and level P-7 is the safest. Level P-1 and P-2 shredders are ideal for general shredding, while level P-3 and P-4 shredders are meant for slightly sensitive papers.
Level P-5 shredders are used to destroy important corporate papers such as financial, strategic, and personal information. On the other hand, level P-6 and P-7 shredders provide the highest level of protection. These levels are appropriate for top secret government documents.
Which Shredder Security Level is Best for Hospitals?
Most U.S. federal institutions use NSA-approved shredders to permanently destroy private data. These paper shredders have security levels P-6 and P-7, and are the optimum shredders for extremely sensitive data protection. However, P-5 level shredders are also designed to demolish top secret information. That is why confidential materials such as patient documents must be exterminated using at least the P-5 level of security.
Micro-cut shredders with a security level of P-5 or higher are suitable for hospitals and healthcare facilities. This is because they need to shred highly sensitive information like medical reports. Micro-cut shredders produce small pieces that are difficult to reassemble. As a result, they are fit for eradicating private hospital records.
What Type of Shredder is Best for Use in Hospitals?
The types of shredders that should be used in hospitals and healthcare facilities are cross-cut and micro-cut shredders.
Cross-Cut Shredders
Cross-cut shredders slice documents into small particles of paper. These particles of paper vary in size from 10mm x 80mm to 1mm x 5mm. Cross-cut shredders are not able to shred documents as quickly as strip-cut shredders due to the extra cutting involved. Although they can not shred documents as fast, cross-cut shredders can provide more security.
Advantages of Cross-Cut Shredders:
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Better Security: Cross-cut shredders offer increased security by producing tiny shredded pieces, making document reconstruction much more difficult.
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Fewer Bag Changes: Due to smaller paper particles, their bins require fewer changes.
Disadvantages of Cross-Cut Shredders:
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Lower Capacity: These models handle fewer sheets per pass, which may slow down the shredding process for bulkier tasks.
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Higher Maintenance: Cross-cut shredders need more regular oiling to keep their complex mechanisms in top shape.
Products such as the HSM Securio P36i L6 OMDD Combo Paper & Optical Media Shredder are perfect for hospitals wishing to get complete data wipes in their files so their patients are protected.
Micro-Cut Shredders
For those who require maximum security, micro-cut shredders are the gold standard. These machines shred documents into tiny, confetti-like particles, making it nearly impossible to restore shredded information.
Advantages of Micro-Cut Shredders:
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Maximum Security: Micro-cut shredders are built for shredding highly sensitive data, such as financial records and legal documents.
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Compact Shreds: Micro-cut models produce miniscule shredded pieces. This means their bins need to be emptied less frequently.
Disadvantages of Micro-Cut Shredders:
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Cost: These shredders tend to be pricier than strip-cut or cross-cut models.
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Lower Capacity: Due to the intricate cutting process, micro-cut shredders typically handle fewer sheets at once.
Products such as the Fellowes Fortishred 2250M Micro Cut Paper Shredder are an excellent micro-shredder for hospitals and healthcare facilities.
High-Security Shredders and More from Whitaker Brothers
Nearly all Whitaker Brothers high-security shredders are NSA-Evaluated and meet or exceed the NSA/CSS Specification 02-01 (Level 6/P-7) for High-Security Cross-Cut Shredders.
Our high-security shredders are also approved for ALL levels of classified paper destruction, including SAP, COMSEC, SCI and TS. With our line of Datastroyer, MBM/Destroyit, and Martin Yale shredders, and over 75 years of experience in the high-security document destruction industry, Whitaker Brothers is qualified to assist you with meeting your data security requirements.
Shop our high-security shredders for hospitals today.
