PROGRESS LAB INTERNAL COVID-19 POLICY
As the province has moved into the next phase of restarting, official workplace Covid Safety Plans are no longer required. It is the responsibility of each resident company to ensure that their teams have signed in and have self-declared as having no symptoms upon entering the building.
Declaration of Users on Premises by Resident Company
The resident company responsible for use shall provide VCSS a list of the registered users occupying the building for each booking, or day, in the event of potential exposure to Covid-19 at PL 1422. Users are only admissible should the overall capacity of the building allow it. It is the responsibility of the Resident Company to ensure the building capacity is not exceeded.
Daily Symptom Check Sign-In
All users are required to complete a symptom check sign-in at the entry of the building upon arrival.
Use Requirements for Users
All users of the facility are required to adhere to current public health guidelines and orders while on the premises, as well as VCSS’s internal Covid-19 guidelines and requirements for health and safety as follows:
- Use of Masks – all users who are able are required to use face masks while outside enclosed rooms in the building, including the hallways, kitchen and workshop/studio crossover and when unable to maintain 1 meter distance from others.
- Personal Hygiene and Sanitizing – all users are required to regularly wash or sanitize their hands before and after touching surfaces or using any facilities, including washrooms. Users are advised to avoid touching their face, eyes, mouth, nose, ears, head or other areas of their body where viral transmission is possible.
- Cleaning and Sanitizing Surfaces – all users are required to use spray sanitizers provided to clean and sanitize any surfaces they touch in the building after use, including door knobs, light switches, alarm panels, faucets, chairs, tables, desks, photocopiers, printers, counters and appliances.
- Reporting Concerns and Potential Exposures – all users are required to report health concerns, hazards and potential exposures to Covid-19 to VCSS immediately at health@c-space.ca. Should a user develop symptoms of Covid-19 within 14 days of use of PL1422, they will notify VCSS immediately.
- Leave Premises If Symptomatic – Should a user develop symptoms of Covid-19 during use, they will leave the premises immediately, and notify VCSS immediately at health@c-space.ca.
- Maintain and Monitor Occupancy Levels – all users are required to monitor occupancy to ensure compliance with current Overall Building Capacity levels. This may require a user to leave the premises.
- Self-Isolation – in the event of known potential exposure to Covid-19, a positive test for Covid- 19, or should a user be travelling outside of Canada prior to use, they must self-isolate for a period of 10 days prior to using any facilities at PL1422.
- Visiting/Returning from Out of Province – any user who is visiting Progress Lab within 10 days of traveling outside of the province of British Columbia must seek the permission of VCSS before entering the building. You must notify health@c-space.ca as soon as you know and no less than 10 days before your visit to Progress Lab. Permission will not be unreasonably withheld, but will be considered in the context of other users safety and previously planned activities.
- Stay Home When Feeling Ill – all users must stay home and/or offsite if they feel at all ill, sick, under the weather or otherwise unwell.
- Work From Home When Possible – all users agree to work from home when possible for the duration of the Covid-19 pandemic, limiting the number of potential exposures to the virus or possible transmission to others at PL1422.
- Ventilation of Spaces – While using facilities at PL1422, users are encouraged to leave exterior doors open when possible and secure and ensure any interior ventilation systems are on while they are in an enclosed space.
- Dishes and Dishwasher Use – All users must immediately hand-wash with hot water and dish- soap, or place used dishes immediately in the dishwasher. If dishes are placed in the dishwasher, the user must ensure the dishwasher is run before leaving the building.
- Specific Washroom Assignments – to limit contacts, cross contamination and potential transmissions of the virus, users will only use washroom facilities as assigned, as follows:
- Accessible Washroom – Immune Compromised or Vulnerable Users Only
- Single Washroom A – Studio, Rumpus and Workshop Users Only
- Single Washroom B – Office Users Only
- Non-Work Related Activities Outdoors or Offsite – when not directly engaged in work-related activities, users agree to leave the premises when possible. Such activities include visiting, eating lunch, taking breaks, phone calls etc.
- Lingering in Communal Spaces and Areas – users will limit use of common areas as much as possible, and avoid lingering in communal spaces and areas (e.g. kitchen, hallways, entry ways).
- VCSS Right to Closure and Cancellation – VCSS retains the right to cancel bookings for use, and/or close the building without notice.
Requirements for PL Studio Users With Larger Groups
In addition to all other aspects of this Safety Plan, any resident company holding activity with more than six (6) people in the Studio is required to:
Identify a dedicated “Covid Captain” who has authority to address safety concerns in the room within their job description, with duties include monitoring physical distancing, conducting symptom checks, continually cleaning the space, equipment and supplies, sanitizing at all breaks and encouraging mask use and hand hygiene during work. The “Covid Captain” will also be the direct liaison with the Operations Manager, and identified verbally for Studio Users each day, and on Slack Channels for other users to contact with concerns.
Read a provided COVID-Safety briefing to Studio Groups each day.
Clean /Sanitize all washrooms, door handles and light switches in the studio and lower level common areas / entryway before and after use, and following every break.
Post break times on Slack Channel #studiovisits & #officevisits when they occur or in advance if known, and when they end and washrooms have been cleaned. Studio users may use all washrooms during breaks if they are thoroughly cleaned following the break.
Strictly enforce use of face coverings and no-loitering in common areas, particularly on breaks, requesting people remain in the studio or go outside.
Limit the use of the Kitchen to four designated people within the Studio group, with access to water, hospitality supplies and a fridge for all others within the studio.
Restrict removal of face coverings/masks to closed spaces where everyone has consented, or one is alone with the door. closed.
Assumed Liability and Responsibility of Registered Users
1. All users should assume that all surfaces are contaminated upon entry to the building.
- Upon arrival, each group should wipe down commonly touched surfaces including door handles, light switches, alarm panel, kitchen counters, kitchen taps, bathroom taps and toilet handle with the cleaning solutions provided, to minimize hazards to all individual users.
- Upon departure, each group should wipe down commonly touched surfaces including door handles, light switches, alarm panel, kitchen counters, kitchen taps, bathroom taps and toilet handle with the cleaning solutions provided. Additionally, all surfaces and furniture used in the studio must be wiped down or cleaned with chemical cleaning agents, including tables, chairs, music stands, and the floor to prevent potential spread of Covid-19.
- If the kitchen is used or occupied in any way, all surfaces including counter tops and taps must be sanitized and all food or food service items removed and/or disposed of.
- When washrooms are used, all surfaces, including taps, toilet handle and countertops must be wiped down with sanitizer.
- Cleaning time before and after use must be included/completed within your booked time to ensure zero overlap between bookings. Additional time for bookings can be allotted to accommodate the cleaning requirements.
Limited Public Access
General public shall be admitted to the building under the responsibility of the Resident Company hosting the event. Public must be masked at all times if they are in the building.
Found in Contravention of Safety Plan and Policies
If a company or individual is found to be in contravention of these policies, a formal written warning may be issued to the resident company, or the activity may be cancelled and future space use may be reviewed. The VCSS Board reserves the right to deny access to any user or Resident Company found to be in contravention of the above policies for any length of time.
VCSS Preventative Measures and Actions
VCSS shall take the following measures and actions to support this health and safety plan, and the policies and guidelines within it:
1. Provide Hand Sanitizer, Soap, Sanitizing Spray.
2. High contact or potentially hazardous surfaces will be marked with yellow tape to draw attention to the need for sanitization and hand washing.
3. Signage detailing this policy, occupancy loads, user assignments of washrooms, and best practices for hygiene will be posted to remind users of policy and support compliance.
4. Cleaning and sanitization supplies will be distributed throughout the building to each space.
5. A fridge, kettle and microwave will be supplied to the Studio to limit kitchen overcrowding.
6. No more than two Studio user groups will be permitted per day. One hour will be allotted between bookings for non-offices spaces to avoid overlap of users.
7. Disseminate this plan to all stakeholders, including resident companies, employees/contractors and cleaning personnel.
8. Should a confirmed or presumptive case of Covid-19 be connected to Progress Lab, all bookings will be immediately cancelled until further notice, all users will be notified. The building will remain empty for a period of at least three days, following which a rigorous cleaning and sanitizing of the premises will be completed prior to reopening.
9. Vancouver Creative Space Society cannot compel users to follow these policies and assumes no liability if a user falls ill.
Duration of Policy and Guidelines
The above will remain in place until revised or altered by the C-Space board. The C-Space board reserves the right to change this policy at any time.
Before you visit Progress Lab, please ensure:
I have read the PL Covid-19 Workplace Safety Policy.
I agree to comply with the PL Covid-19 Safety Policy.
I will not enter PL1422 if I have experienced symptoms of Covid-19 in the previous 14 days.
Vancouver Creative Space Society is grateful to operate on the traditional and unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.