Paper shredding is no longer confined merely to office environment. It is now also used by individuals at their home. With increase in identity thefts cases, individuals are now recognizing the advantages of shredding confidential documents. These advanced technology paper shredder machines help you cut papers into very minute paper chips and fine strips. Hence, this ensures that the confidential information is not misused by miscreants.
Private individuals, government offices and government organizations thereby employ these shredders extensively nowadays. So, it is recommended by privacy experts to destroy statements of bank accounts, credit card statements and other such confidential documents in these shredders, if possible.
Shredders vary in their price and size. There are inexpensive ones that can be used to shred only some pages and there are also shredders tagged with expensive prices that are mainly used for commercial purposes and are capable of shredding thousands of papers within an hour. The size of the shredders can vary from hand held machines to that of car sized shredding machines.
While the traditional small shredders are powered by electricity, there are other non-powered or manual shredders like special scissors that has multiple pair of blades. Also, these machines are categorized on the basis of the shape of shreds produced by them. Cross-cut shredders, strip-cut shredders, particle-cut shredders and grinders are some of the categories in which they are classified.
The blades used in the shredding machines are quite sharp. So, it is necessary that you first understand its correct and safe usage before employing it for shredding paper.It can seem like a play toy, to a child, watching the paper get shredded into bits and pieces. But it is equipment and should only be operated by adults.
There are some steps you should take to ensure shredder safety. As grownups, we tend to forget that the shredder can be dangerous; but they can be a danger to children, pets and adults.
There are several articles discussing shredder safety online. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has posted “Paper Shredder Safety Alert” on their website to help alert people of the dangers of paper shredders. Even the NOAA’s National Weather Service had an article talking about shredder safety in their newsletter. Humans are not the only one’s affected by shredder mishaps. PetPlace.com has an article on their website, “Paper Shredders Risks and Dogs” which talks about the “horrific accident” one dog experienced because of a shredder.
There are several ways you can make shredders safety. When you are not using the shredder, be sure to unplug it and keep it away from areas easily accessible by pets and children. Never let children operate the shredder, not even under supervision. Do not wear loose fitting clothes, jewelry, or ties around the shredder opening. If you have long hair be sure to tie it back so that it does not fall into the shredder opening. Always unplug your shredder first before attempting to clean it out. Do not force the paper or material into the shredder. If you are looking for a new shredder, I urge you to get one that has the feature of automatically shutting off when a hand or finger gets near the shredder opening.
There are also a few shredder machines that consist of built-in safety features. This prevents the machine from shredding anything it should not. But one just cannot depend on these safety features as they may fail. So it is important that you take all safety precautions, no matter what.
One must also avoid putting in to shred anything in the machine that is very hard or thick for the machine to shred. Such actions will only deteriorate the sharpness of the blades and thereby its efficiency to shred in future. Staples and paper clips on your document must be removed before you put papers for shredding.
Regular maintenance of these machines is also essential to keep them working as efficiently as ever. However, it is a simple task. You just need to clean and oil the shredders on a regular basis and nothing else.
Hence, paper shredding is increasingly growing in popularity nowadays. So, armed with various safety and maintenance tips, you need not refrain from the use of these paper shredder machines and ensure that your confidential information does not fall into wrong hands.
