What is the fire risk of storing documents in the office?

Paper is highly flammable and can sustain fires for extended periods. Office sprinkler systems destroy documents with water even if they stop the fire. Purpose-built storage facilities use gas-based fire suppression that protects documents without water damage.

Is on-site document storage a GDPR risk?

Yes. If documents containing personal data are accessible to people who don't need them — including cleaners, visitors and contractors — this breaches GDPR data protection principles, even if no misuse occurs. You must demonstrate appropriate access controls.

What Are the Risks of Storing Business Documents On-Site?

Most businesses start by storing documents on-site because it seems like the obvious and cheapest option. But as your archive grows, so do the risks. Many businesses do not realise the scale of these risks until something goes wrong — a flood, a fire, a break-in, or a compliance audit that reveals gaps in your records management.

Fire

Paper is one of the most flammable materials in any building. A single four-drawer filing cabinet contains enough paper to sustain a fire for over 20 minutes. An archive room full of boxes can turn a manageable office fire into a catastrophic one.

Most offices rely on water-based sprinkler systems for fire suppression. While these systems save buildings, they destroy paper documents just as effectively as the fire itself. Purpose-built document storage facilities use gas-based suppression systems that extinguish fires without any water — protecting both the building and the records inside it.

Flood and Water Damage

Water damage can come from many sources: burst pipes, roof leaks, rising groundwater, blocked drains, or even a knocked-over cup of coffee on the wrong filing cabinet. Once paper gets wet, the damage is usually irreversible — documents become illegible, pages stick together, and mould develops within 24-48 hours.

Office buildings are rarely designed to protect against water ingress at ground level. Professional storage facilities use raised flooring, drainage systems and environmental monitoring to prevent water reaching the documents.

Theft and Unauthorised Access

Office filing cabinets and storage rooms are rarely secured to the standard needed for sensitive business documents. Keys go missing, locks are left open, and anyone in the building — employees, cleaners, visitors, contractors — may have physical access to your records.

Under GDPR, you are responsible for controlling access to personal data. If personnel files, client records or financial documents are accessible to people who do not need them, you are in breach of data protection principles — even if no actual misuse occurs.

Pest Damage

Mice, rats, silverfish and other pests are attracted to paper and cardboard. A single mouse can destroy hundreds of pages of documents in a surprisingly short time. Office basements and ground-floor storage rooms are particularly vulnerable, especially in older buildings.

Environmental Deterioration

Paper deteriorates faster in conditions that most offices provide: fluctuating temperatures, variable humidity, direct sunlight through windows, and dust accumulation. Documents stored in a warm, humid office will age much faster than those stored in a controlled environment.

For documents that need to be retained for 10+ years, environmental conditions matter significantly. What looks fine after two years may be faded, brittle or mouldy after ten.

Compliance and Audit Risk

Regulatory bodies expect you to be able to produce specific documents on request — sometimes within a few days. If your on-site archive is disorganised, poorly labelled or incomplete, you may fail to produce what is needed in time. This can result in regulatory penalties, adverse audit findings, or an inability to defend legal claims.

Professional storage providers maintain detailed catalogues with barcode tracking, so any document can be located and retrieved quickly. They also manage retention schedules, prompting you when documents are due for review or destruction.

Space and Cost

This is not strictly a risk, but it is an ongoing cost that many businesses underestimate. Every square foot of office space used for document storage is space that is not being used for revenue-generating activity. As your archive grows, you may find yourself leasing additional office space primarily to house old records — an expensive solution to a problem that professional storage solves at a fraction of the cost.

How to Reduce These Risks

The most effective way to eliminate on-site storage risks is to move your archive to a purpose-built facility with proper fire suppression, environmental controls, security and tracking. At EvaStore, our facility in Shropshire is designed specifically to protect business records — with 24/7 CCTV, gas fire suppression, ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certification, and barcode tracking of every box and file.

Get a Free Quote

Every business is different, so the best way to understand your costs is to get in touch with our team. We provide clear, no-obligation quotes — usually within the same day.

Call us on 01691 650355 or use the form below.