Defining Record Retention Times - Is 5 years long enough?

Not knowing how many records you create in a month and your particular industry and potential liability, you may want to consider backing up more often than monthly.

Disposition

Al,

in your opinion does stating my minimum retention times :ca: ?

Thanks,

Curt

Gpainter

We create about 1500 records every month so far it seems to be working fine. I don't destroy any Hard Copies until I have made my back up...

Thanks for the input,

Curt

Stressed,

I think you might need to go into more detail in a procedure:

---Auditor Cap On---

-How do you track your records to know when to dispose of records?

-What is your method to communicate to various personnel that records need disposition?

- How do you document that the records were disposed of?

-What are your methods of disposal?

At one place I was at we had our 1st 6 Mo. surv. audit. The auditor asked me for proof of record disposition. I told him that our minimum retention time for any record was 1 year and that we had not disposed of any records yet.

He agreed and asked to show what system was in place to ensure that the process would be performed in the future. I showed him a form that is sent out to all department managers telling them they the following records need to be disposed of. The manager disposed of the records and noted on the form that yes they were disposed of and how they were disposed.

The signed acknowledgement was returned and stored. Verification was done through simple follow-up and internal audits.

Just food for thought. Minimum retention times may be stated but there does need to be a system to follow through.

Hope I didn't muddy it up too much!

Records

Al,

I could write a script to run at the end of every fiscal year that tells me I have files needing disposition. I could document disposal by doing a screen print showing the files that need disposal and the date they were deleted from the server or disc. The only problem I can see in this logic is that not all records will have the same retention times. I suppose I could:ca: with clever verbage in my procedure but that could cause more trouble than it is worth.

All of the back up discs are in my control so notification doesnt present a problem.

I have a similar program monitoring my CAR log that prompts me when there has been no activity for 3 days on a particular CAR. When I get this prompt I E-Mail all involved with that CAR and save a copy of my E-Mail with that CAR this seems to be working very well.:thedeal:

Thanks You for all of your input it helps a great deal.

Curt

For quality records , I incorporate the retention times stated in the standard. Records that require long retention periods are tied into production schedules/releases, so that when we are notified by the OEM that a part is no longer active we can update our record file. Other records; audits, calibration recall, follow-ups are all set up in "MS outlook" with the apprpriate people notified.
Works for me.

More info please

Sam,

What do you mean when you refer to "the retention times stated in the standard" ? Which standard are you referring to? I don't see this information.

Also, for the Outlook functions: are you using the calendar mode, and how do you have this set up?

Lucinda, Refer to QS-9000 para. 4.16.1.
Yes I use the calendar mode; I schedule an appointment to remind myself and a meeting if other people are involved.

Hi
How about calibration records? Is it still worth that we keep that record until the life of the equipment? Or can we dispose it based on our procedure of five years?
Thanks in advance,
Raffy

I thought this was already over, however, last week our documents that was been subjected for review had some findings on 4.2.4 Control of Records. We had established a retention period for our inspection records however for other quality records we don't have any. I had problems with regards to record retention: 1. Some records are kept by other department(s). I don't have a control on those records. Does this mean, we need to specify in detail the records that are kept by other department(s)? Do they need to write a procedure on how do they kept? Store? and Retention?
2. We already reached the five year retention time of the documents and records. I don't know how where do I start? If the retention time already expire, does it mean we need to dispose all records at hand? Or do we need to evaluate all records that expired retention time?

Thanks in advance.
Best regards,
Raffy

Raffy said:

I thought this was already over, however, last week our documents that was been subjected for review had some findings on 4.2.4 Control of Records. We had established a retention period for our inspection records however for other quality records we don't have any. I had problems with regards to record retention: 1. Some records are kept by other department(s). I don't have a control on those records. Does this mean, we need to specify in detail the records that are kept by other department(s)? Do they need to write a procedure on how do they kept? Store? and Retention?
2. We already reached the five year retention time of the documents and records. I don't know how where do I start? If the retention time already expire, does it mean we need to dispose all records at hand? Or do we need to evaluate all records that expired retention time?

Thanks in advance.
Best regards,
Raffy

Click to expand...

I feel your frustration, Raffy.

From a quick review of the posts for the last two years, it seems you aren't too far off track. Please take time to review the more recent posts in this thread:
https://elsmar.com/Forums/showthread.php?t=6939
One thing you might add to your procedure for record retention is a method to review records as their five year anniversary arrives and make a decision to do one of three things:

1. destroy
2. ship them to a customer who has mandated a longer retention period
3. microfilm or scan them into a computer for archival purposes and then destroy hard copies (microfilm or computer files thus created get a new review date for retention.)

Sometimes folks are confused between documents and records (a special subset of document.) Records often have a definite life span, documents do not. For example, inspection records can have a definite life span ranging from days to years. A document like a corporate charter may have an unlimited life span (until the corporation is merged or dissolved.) A document like revision 1 of a drawing that is in its 10th revision, even if it's only weeks or months old, can readily be destroyed if it is obsolete and no longer required for reference or repair purposes.

Depending on the records in other departments, they may or may not fall under your Quality Management System. If they do, then, yes, you need to have a way to "control" those documents by requiring the other departments to follow a Procedure related to storage, retrieval, retention, and destruction of those records, even if you don't physically deal with the documents (purchase orders, shipping documents, billing and accounts receivable records, accounts payable to suppliers, machine maintenance records, employee time sheets, salesman phone logs, etc. are examples of kinds of records organizations may keep in other departments, none of which need be included in your Quality Management System.)

I hope you find the answers you need between my answer and the thread cited above.