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When Hurricane Sandy plowed into the Northeast United States in 2012, estimated business losses totaled more than $25 billion. In New Jersey alone, 19,000 small businesses suffered losses of $250,000 or more with estimated losses at $8.3 billion, about 1 percent of the gross state product. The event served as a hard lesson in the unpredictability and danger of storms.

Anytime a patient interacts with a member of the medical community—from visiting a physician to calling a medical office with a question to filling a prescription—the events are noted in a health record. Thanks to technological advancements, many medical records are electronic. Several clinics, however, continue to use paper-based charts, as the practice may be more convenient to the providers and their staff. A health information records manager ensures the information in physical and electronic records remains up to date and accessible, in accordance with the facility’s document retention policy and privacy standards. The specialists use their expertise to align health care information with security and safety to protect a patient’s privacy and right to confidentiality.

Records losses for a non-profit organization could prove catastrophic. In addition to potentially crippling operations, losses could be a violation of federal and state document retention policies, such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Because records-related incidents could have implications that a non-profit might not expect, it is wise to create a document retention policy with retention schedules, as well as a disaster preparedness plan that includes document drying and restoration.

If a disaster struck your business, how would your documents fare? Unplanned events can have devastating consequences on your operations if vital information is lost. For this reason, document restoration companies recommend that you look to off-site storage solutions. As your business grows, so will the number of documents it maintains. Keeping records you don’t need daily access to at a secure storage facility offers benefits you may not have considered while enhancing business continuity plans.

January 2017 brought exciting news to document restoration companies. A volunteer working with an archaeology team at Knole, a historic home in Kent, England, discovered two letters from the years 1603 and 1633 in the South Barracks attic. The letters, written on quality rag paper, offer a glimpse into 17th Century life as one contains a beautifully penned shopping list with items such as greenfish, pewter spoons, a fireshovel and frying pan. Paper has a rich history that spans continents, offering insight to human ingenuity and imagination. By understanding why some types of paper survived the test of time better than others, you can take steps to better preserve your own documents and reduce the need for archive restoration services.