For those of you that work for multi-discipline firms (survey, engineering, environmental, etc...), I would be curious to know what your company's policy is on retention of non-administrative records? Understanding of course statutes' or limitations/repose vary from state to state. Of equal importance would be is there a difference in your policies for retention of hardcopies versus digital documentation.
Thank you in advance for your input!
Scan 'em all.
SReeserinPA, post: 329543, member: 6126 wrote: For those of you that work for multi-discipline firms (survey, engineering, environmental, etc...), I would be curious to know what your company's policy is on retention of non-administrative records? Understanding of course statutes' or limitations/repose vary from state to state. Of equal importance would be is there a difference in your policies for retention of hardcopies versus digital documentation.
Thank you in advance for your input!
We retain our records for 7 years. Twice a year everything over 7 years old is shredded...
Digital data takes up so little physical space I see no reason why one wouldn't keep it for the life of the business, or at least for as long as it remains compatible with current software/hardware. Every firm needs a comprehensive backup policy.
Scanning of documents is a comparably new option in terms of long term data storage. But for the last several years I have scanned (or photographed) everything of importance to a project that isn't already in digital format. This include full sized plan sets. So I can definitely see a future where I kept the paper files for only a short time. Perhaps a few years.
That said, I've never known any files to ever be purposely thrown out at any place I've worked. On the other hand, I have seen some of the oldest files get moved from place to place until they end up in unheated garages and so forth, getting scrambled, separated, mildewed, and generally worthless in the process.
Some owners throw away all survey files to ensure the records can never be subpoenaed.
SReeserinPA, post: 329543, member: 6126 wrote: For those of you that work for multi-discipline firms (survey, engineering, environmental, etc...), I would be curious to know what your company's policy is on retention of non-administrative records? Understanding of course statutes' or limitations/repose vary from state to state. Of equal importance would be is there a difference in your policies for retention of hardcopies versus digital documentation.
Thank you in advance for your input!
And then there is the Large Company in Tucson that tossed all of their historical records carefully collected and indexed for decades, all of the recent survey drawings and files, and the microfiche copies. Everything, off to the dump. The good surveyors in Tucson still mutter over that despicable act.