Computer disposal raises legal issues.As industries everywhere become more reliant on technology, two new and challenging obstacles are emerging: the safe and legal disposal of outdated computer equipment, and the digital or physical data destruction of client information. This equipment comes in the form of computer monitors, hard drives, printers, copiers, etc. In the past, this equipment may have been placed into storage, donated to a school or sent to the dumpster. However, notes Joseph P. Harford, vice president at Reclamere Inc., a Pennsylvania-based company that handles disposition of such equipment, none of these disposal methods addresses the environmental or legal responsibilities an organization faces. He says three critical questions have to be asked: * Does the organization have a plan in place for the removal/disposal of outdated computer equipment? * Does this plan adhere to adhere to verb 1. follow, keep, maintain, respect, observe, be true, fulfil, obey, heed, keep to, abide by, be loyal, mind, be constant, be faithful 2. appropriate federal, state and local environmental laws for the equipment removal/recycling? * Does this plan follow the laws regarding the privacy of client data that may still reside on the computers in question? Harford notes that the 1976 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), enacted in 1976, is a Federal law of the United States contained in 42 U.S.C. §§6901-6992k. It is usually pronounced as "rick-rah" or "Wreck-rah. , which addresses the proper disposal of hazardous material, categorizes such common computer materials as lead (in glass), mercury, cadmium cadmium (kăd`mēəm) [from cadmia, Lat. for calamine, with which cadmium is found associated], metallic chemical element; symbol Cd; at. no. 48; at. wt. 112.41; m.p. 321°C;; b.p. 765°C;; sp. gr. 8. and arsenic arsenic (är`sənĭk), a semimetallic chemical element; symbol As; at. no. 33; at. wt. 74.9216; m.p. 817°C; (at 28 atmospheres pressure); sublimation point 613°C;; sp. gr. (stable form) 5.73; valence −3, 0, +3, or +5. as hazardous materials. In fact, in 2002 the Environment Protection Agency filed to collect more than $410,000 in total fines from two New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of colleges, Manhattan College and Pratt Institute Pratt Institute, at Brooklyn, N.Y.; coeducational; chartered and opened 1887. Founded by Charles Pratt as a school for practical training, it now offers general and professional studies, including programs in fine arts, art education, art history, library and , for the improper disposal of hazardous waste Hazardous waste Any solid, liquid, or gaseous waste materials that, if improperly managed or disposed of, may pose substantial hazards to human health and the environment. Every industrial country in the world has had problems with managing hazardous wastes. that included computer monitors. Short of disposition, destroying data offers a way to keep the computers in use. Yet data destruction is not as simple and straightforward as "formatting" the computer's hard drive, which Harford says "is in no way secure, complete or reliable." He notes that the U.S. Department of Defense has set forth "reliable and secure" standards for both the electronic and physical destruction of data residing on a hard drive. In numerous cases, hard drives were not properly "cleansed cleanse tr.v. cleansed, cleans·ing, cleans·es To free from dirt, defilement, or guilt; purge or clean. [Middle English clensen, from Old English " and information has been inadvertently given away, Harford adds. Two such cases involved the state government of Pennsylvania and a Veterans Administration hospital in Indianapolis. In both instances, there was no clear methodology or process in place that assured identification, inventory management, destruction and certification. Do Annual Plans Add Significant Value ? Percent of Companies Saying They Realize a Significant Benefit from Their Planning Process: 19% Say the annual plan creates transparency into the organization 25% Say it drives revenue growth of at least 1 percent 27% Say it improves operational performance 27% Say it creates shareholder value 34% Say it builds a sense of shared purpose 35% Say it creates business foresight 40% Say it aligns company goals 42% Say it creates insight into their business 56% Say it controls costs Source: Buttonwood buttonwood: see plane tree. Group, LLP--"Benchmarking the Planning Process" |
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