Records management at RRU

Official records should only be destroyed once they have completed the retention period set out in the Time Limits for Official Records. If records are destroyed prematurely there may be serious consequences, including the following:

• Reputational damage to the institution if the destroyed record falls within the scope of a future Freedom of Information request.
• Financial damage to the institution if the destroyed record falls within the scope of a future legal discovery.
• Financial damage to the institution if the destroyed record contravenes legislative or regulatory requirements.
• Personal damage to an individual if the destroyed record contains important information.
• Flawed decision-making for staff members if the destroyed record contains operational information.

You can sidestep the possibility of reputational, financial, personal and operational damage by following the Time Limits for Official Records.

Ready to undertake destruction? The following steps are necessary to ensure your actions will be defensible in the years to come:

1. Confirm there are no pending Freedom of Information requests or legal discoveries that pertain to the records under consideration.
2. Consult the Time Limits for Official Records and determine the category to which your records belong.
3. Read the category and confirm that it recommends destruction, and that the records have been kept for the prescribed period of time.
4. Fill out this form. 
5. Send the form to your manager as an email attachment and obtain consent to destroy.
6. Store your manager's reply email (with form attached) on your department shared drive in a folder called Records Management.
7. Destroy the records. If they are paper, shred with a cross-cut shredder. If they are electronic, press the delete button.