Privacy Policy

Introduction

Ryedale Organics needs to collate and use certain information about individuals. These can include customers, suppliers, business contacts, employees and other people the organisation has a relationship with or needs to contact.

This policy explains how this personal data must be collected, handled and stored to meet the company’s data protection standards as well as complying with the law.

Why This Policy Exists

This Data Protection Policy ensures Ryedale Organics:

Complies with data protection law and follows good practice
Protects the rights of staff, customers and partners
Is open about how it stores and processes individuals’ data
Protects itself from the risks of data breach

Data Protection Law

The Data Protection Act 1998 describes how organisations (including Ryedale Organics) must collect, handle and store personal information.

These rules apply regardless of whether data is stored electronically, on paper or on other materials.

To comply with the law, personal information must be collected and used fairly, stored safely and not disclosed unlawfully.

The Data Protection Act is underpinned by eight important principles: -

Be processed fairly and lawfully
Be obtained only for specific, lawful purposes
Be adequate, relevant and not excessive
Be accurate and be kept up-to-date
Not be held for any longer than necessary
Processed in accordance with the rights of data subjects
Be protected in appropriate ways
Not be transferred outside the European Economic (EEA), unless that country or territory also ensures an adequate level of protection

Policy Scope

This policy applies to:

The Head Office of Ryedale Organics
Accounts Office of Ryedale Organics
All Staff of Ryedale Organics
All Contractors, Suppliers and other people working on behalf of Ryedale Organics

It applies to all data that the company holds relating to identifiable individuals, even if that information technically falls outside of the Data Protection Act 1998. This can include:

Names of individuals
Postal addresses
Email addresses
Telephone numbers
Any other information relating to individuals

Data Protection Risk

This policy helps protect Ryedale Organics from some very real data security risks including:

Breaches of confidentiality. For instance, information being given out inappropriately
Failing to offer choice. For instance, all individuals should be free to choose how the company uses the data relating to them
Reputational damage. For instance, the company could suffer if hackers successfully gained access to sensitive data

Responsibilities

Everyone who works for or with Ryedale Organics has some responsibility for ensuring data is collected, stored and handled appropriately.

Each member of staff that handles personal data must ensure that it is handled and processed in line with this policy and data protection principles.

However, these people have key areas of responsibility:

Oliver Kemp and Jeremy Kemp are ultimately responsible for ensuring that Ryedale Organics meets its legal obligations and are responsible for:

Keeping the board updated about data protection responsibilities risks and issues
Reviewing all data protection procedures and related policies in line with an agreed schedule
Arranging data protection training and advice for the people covered by this policy
Handling data protection questions from staff and anyone else covered by this policy
Dealing with requests from individuals to see the data Bedroam holds about them (also called ‘subject access requests’)
Checking and approving any contracts or agreements with third parties that may handle the company’s sensitive data

Richard Eborall from Systems Plus is responsible for:

Ensuring all systems, services and equipment used for storing data meet acceptable security standards
Performing regular checks and scans to ensure security hardware and software is functioning properly
Evaluating any third-party services’, the company is considering using to store or process data. For instance, cloud computing services

Oliver Kemp and Jeremy Kemp are responsible for:

Approving any data protection statements attached to communications such as emails and letters
Addressing any data protection queries from journalists or media outlets like newspapers
Where necessary, working with other staff to ensure marketing initiatives abide by data protection principles

General Staff Guidelines

The only people able to access data covered by this policy should be those who need it for their work
Data should not be shared informally. When access to confidential information is required, employees can request if from their line managers
Ryedale Organics will provide training to all employees to help them understand their responsibilities when handling data
Employers should keep all data secure by taking sensible precautions and following guidelines below
In particular, strong passwords must be used and they should never be shared
Personal data should not be disclosed to unauthorised people, either within the company or externally
Data should be regularly reviewed and updated if it is found to be out of date. If no longer required, it should be deleted and disposed of
Employees should request help from Jeremy and Oliver Kemp if they are unsure about any aspect of data protection

Data Storage

These rules describe how and where data should be safely stored. Questions about storing data safely can be directed to the IT Manager, Jeremy Kemp or Oliver Kemp.

When data is stored on paper, it should be kept in a secure place where unauthorised people cannot see it.

These guidelines also apply to data that is usually stored electronically but has been printed out for some reason:

When not required, the paper or files should be kept in a locked drawer or filing cabinet
Employees should make sure paper and printouts are not left where unauthorised people could see them
If applicable, Data printouts should be shredded and disposed of securely when no longer required

When data is stored electronically, it must be protected from unauthorised access, accidental deletion and malicious hacking attempts:

Data should be protected by strong passwords that are changed regularly and never shared between employees
If data is stored on removable media (like a CD or DVD), these should be kept locked away securely when not being used
Data should only be stored on designated drivers and servers, and should only be uploaded to an approved cloud computing services
Servers containing personal data should be sited in a secure location, away from general office space
Data should be backed up frequently. These backups should be tested regularly, in line with the company’s standard back up procedures
Data should never be saved directly to laptops or other mobile devices like tablets and smart phones
All servers and computers containing data should be protected by approved security software and a firewall

Data Use

Personal data is of no value to Ryedale Organics unless the business can make use of it. However, it is when personal data is accessed and used that it can be at the greatest risk of loss, corruption and theft:

When working with personal data, employees should ensure the screens of their computers are always locked when left unattended
Personal data should not be shared informally. In particular, it should never be sent by email, as this form of communication is not secure
Data must be encrypted before being transferred electronically. The IT Manager can explain how to send data to authorised external contacts
Personal data should never be transferred outside of the European Economic Area
Employees should not save copies of personal data to their own computers. Always access and update then central copy of any data

Data Accuracy

The law requires Ryedale Organics to take reasonable steps to ensure data is kept accurate and up-to-date.

The more important it is that the personal data is accurate, the greater the effort Ryedale Organics should put into to ensuring its accuracy.

It is the responsibility of all employees who work with the data to take reasonable steps to ensure it is kept as accurate and up-to- date as possible.

Data will be held in as few places as necessary. Staff should not create any unnecessary additional data sets
Staff should take every opportunity to ensure data is updated. For instance, by confirming a customer’s details when they call
Ryedale Organics will make it easy for data subjects to update the information Ryedale
Organics holds about them. For instance, via the company website
Data should be updated as inaccuracies are discovered. For instance, if a customer can no longer be reached on the stored telephone number, it should be removed from the database
It is both Jeremy and Oliver Kemps responsibility to ensure marketing databases are checked against industry suppression files every six months

Subject Access Requests

All individuals who are the subject of personal data held by Ryedale Organics are entitled to:

Ask what information the company holds about them and why
Ask how to gain access to it
Be informed how to keep it up-to-date
Be informed how the company is meeting its data protection obligations

If an individual contacts the company requesting this information, this is called a subject access request.

Subject access requests from individuals should be made by email, addressed to Jeremy and Oliver Kemp at enquiries@ryedaleorganics.co.uk. Jeremy and Oliver Kemp can supply a standard request form, although individuals do not have to use this.

Individuals will be charged £10.00 per subject access request. Jeremy and Oliver Kemp will aim to provide the relevant data within 14 days.

Jeremy and Oliver Kemp will always verify the identity of anyone making a subject access request before handing over any information.

Disclosing Data For Other Reasons

In certain circumstances, the Data Protection Act allows personal data to be disclosed to law
enforcement agencies without the consent of the data subject.

Under these circumstances, Ryedale Organics will disclose requested data. However, the Jeremy and Oliver Kemp will ensure the request is legitimate, seeking assistance from the board and from the company’s legal advisors where necessary.

Providing Information

Ryedale Organics aims to ensure that individuals are aware that their details being processed, and that they understand:

How the data is being used
How to exercise their rights