Is your business ready for GDPR and what has it got to do with building control?

On 25 May this year the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into force and no matter how small your business may be, you have to comply with new regulations regarding the secure collection, storage and usage of personal information.

If you’re unsure of whether or not GDPR applies to you, consider how regularly you deal with personal data – and that includes present and past employees and suppliers, not just customer data.

Overall the legislation has been introduced to encourage companies across the EU to think seriously about data protection. But beware if you think you can ignore it; failure to comply with the GDPR will lead to heavier punishments than ever before.

Under current rules, the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) can fine up to £500,000 for malpractice but the GDPR will be able to fine up to €20 million or 4 per cent of annual turnover (whichever is higher).

The two principles of GDPR are:

• To give citizens and residents back control of their personal data
• To simplify the regulatory environment for international business by unifying the regulation within the EU.

Individuals have more rights dictating how businesses use their personal data. In particular, they have the ‘right to be forgotten’ if they either withdraw their consent to the use of their personal data or if keeping that data is no longer required. They can sue you for compensation to recover both material damage and non-material damage, like distress.

And what has it got to do with building control?

The link that allows us to send you this Bulletin comes under GDPR and therefore affects how LABC handle and store your contact details. You can expect an email from us in the near future to ensure you would like to continue to receive our Building Bulletins and other information from us.

Find out more what GDPR might mean for your business