This notice covers the Chartawell website and the correspondence and records that arise from laboratory, research and teaching work. Last revised 1 July 2026.
Reports, raw instrument output and the quality record for each test are retained indefinitely. This is deliberate and we will not delete them on request: an accredited result which cannot be traced back to the instrument, the settings and the date is not a result, and material we tested in 1994 is still being cited in decisions today. The record is about the sample, not about you, and personal contact details in the file are separable from the measurement data and are removed on request.
| Record | Kept for |
|---|---|
| Enquiry correspondence that did not become work | 24 months |
| Commissioned work files, contact details | 7 years after final report |
| Measurement data and quality records | Indefinitely, see above |
| Course booking records | 3 years |
| Web server logs | 90 days |
You may ask what we hold about you, ask for it to be corrected, ask for personal details to be removed from work files (measurement data is retained as described), or object to processing. We answer within one month. If our answer does not satisfy you, you may complain to the supervisory authority for data protection in your jurisdiction.
Write to the administration desk at enquiries@chartawell.example, marking the subject line “data protection”, or by post to the centre address. There is no separate data protection officer; the responsibility sits with the head of administration and is reported annually to the trustees.