5 Office of the Saskatchewan Information and Privacy Commissioner. Guide to Faxing: Preventing Breaches with Safeguards and Responding to a Privacy Breach. 5 Feb. 2026. • Physical safeguards are physical measures including locked filing cabinets, offices and storage rooms, alarm systems and clean desk approaches. Implementing Appropriate Safeguards for Faxing Public bodies and trustees need safeguards for faxing as faxing increases the risk of a privacy breach. The following safeguards can help lower the risk: 1. Adopt Written Policies, Procedures and/or work standards on Faxing (Administrative Safeguards) • Include references to applicable privacy legislation in your organization’s policies and procedures. • Include the types of PI/PHI that can be faxed by your organization, or that your organization can receive. • Ensure that employees, including all new employees, are trained on the policy /practices and are regularly reminded of it. • Post reminders about key policies and procedures near fax machines. • If possible, designate one employee to be responsible for sending and receiving PI/PHI by fax. Train that employee in proper procedures to ensure they are aware of the legal duty to protect the information. 2. Take Steps to Fax Safely (Administrative Safeguards) • Determine if you need to fax, such as because of a time requirement, or if you can forward the information in another way that is also quick but more secure. • If someone requests that their PI/PHI be faxed, explain to them the risk that their information may be deliberately intercepted by people other than the intended recipient. Seek their consent before faxing. • If possible, remove all personal identifiers and confidential information before faxing the information. • Confirm that you have the recipient’s correct fax number. Confirm the number with the intended recipient prior to faxing. Also confirm that the recipient has taken appropriate precautions on their end to prevent those without a need-toknow from viewing the faxed document. • Always use a fax cover sheet that clearly identifies or includes: o The name of sender. o The contact information for the sender.
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