Everyone’s talking about GDPR, but what does it mean? And how does it affect a small to medium contracting or landscaping business? Experts from Euro Start Entreprises explain all – including why you could be breaking the law if you don’t take GDPR seriously.

What is GDPR?

The GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is intended to protect personal information collected in the EU. This means any information that can identify a person, such as a name, phone number, personal address or email address.

The regulation is an attempt by the European Union to provide a single data protection law for the whole continent. This is intended to make it easier for companies, which only need to comply with one law.

Why you need to take GDPR seriously

Companies have to comply with the GDPR, whether they are based in the EU or not. If you have customers, employees or partners from the EU - in other words, if you collect any personal data from the EU - they are protected under the law. This forces you to comply.

Local Data Protection Authorities, such as France’s CNIL or the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office, now have the power to impose fines on non-compliant firms. These fines can be up to 20 million euros or 4% of global annual turnover (whichever is higher).

While the construction industry isn’t as customer-facing as some other industries, it’s still common to collect a large amount of personal data over the course of a project. This may include the details of contractors, subcontractors, suppliers and site security, as well as the information you keep on any of your employees.

Do you know what data you’re collecting and why?

The GDPR is chiefly concerned with limiting data collection to what is strictly necessary and permitted by the person whose data will be used. Companies should:

• know precisely why they need personal data for their project
• identify the legal ground to use it
• inform the person accordingly
• protect the data they receive. 

You must be aware of the ‘flow’ of personal data in your business, from collection to storage and access.

Data used during construction projects is generally collected for legitimate, accepted purposes, which are outlined in existing contracts. Therefore, it may not be necessary to change their wording to comply with GDPR. This depends on the situation, however, and you will need to be able to demonstrate that your data collection is legitimate and transparent.

Find out how to use and store data so you comply with GDPR rules. 

The experts at Euro Start Entreprises

We’ve teamed up with business experts Euro Start Entreprises to help small construction and landscape businesses navigate the complexities of GDPR. Euro Start Entreprises have been helping entrepreneurs open and expand their businesses all over the globe since 2007. With offices and agents in over 30 countries, they provide not only company formation services but accountants, serviced offices, foreign exchange services, company checks, business insurance and telecommunications services.

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