There are many rules and regulations governing data protection, the most important of these being the Data Protection Act 1998 which came in to force on 1st March 2000. The Act aims to give individuals rights with regards to the processing and sharing of personal information.
Employers need to ensure that they comply with the regulations set out by the Data Protection Act 1998, and that certain sources of information that are collected during recruitment, monitoring analysis, employee record updates and health checks are kept confidentially and with the rights of those whom the data is about in mind.
Data protection can be a complex issue and has recently become the topic of several high profile cases when confidential information regarding the child benefit data base was lost. Storing, transporting, processing and handling personal information is an organisations responsibility, and steps should be taken to ensure that this is done with confidentiality and efficiency.
Failure to comply with the regulations outlined in the Data Protection Act 1998 may result in legal action begin taken.