We are deeply focused on keeping our Staff, Members and Visitors healthy and safe while working in our coworking space.
As we continue to navigate new challenges, we have developed a guide that lays out a process to raise awareness of new health and well-being protocols and potentially helpful practices. While it is not a one-size-fits-all approach, the guide includes practical recommendations, based on various scenarios that you might face when returning to our coworking space. Regular updates will be made to the guide based on real-time feedback.
The Guide covers a wide range of topics, including:
Emergency Response Plan and Teams
Cleaning and disinfection procedures
Social distancing strategies
This has been a difficult time for everyone and reestablishing a coworking space where Members feel comfortable is our top priority. It is our hope that by sharing this resource we can help you and your team accomplish the same goals, as everyone adapts to new protocols in today’s still challenging conditions.
This Health & Safety Guide is maintained by Co-OperateOn, LLC for the benefit of all persons working and companies operating in the Co-Operate@Black Fire office suite. Co-Operate@Black Fire’s office is located on the third floor (Suite 300) of the UNLV Harry Reid Research & Technology Park building. The address is 8400 West Sunset Road, Suite 300, Las Vegas, NV 89113.
This Guide is governed by and subordinate to your licensing agreement with Co-Operate@Black Fire. It is important that everyone working in Suite 300 read and understand the material in this guide. Co-Operate@Black Fire reserves the right to modify this guide without prior notice to Members. Co-Operate@Black Fire will keep members advised of any changes to the guide; however, changes may occur before any written revisions are implemented and circulated.
1.Hygiene Etiquette and Best Practices
1.1 Protective Coverings
Co-Operate@Black Fire along with the guidelines followed by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state and local laws; recommends that Staff, Members and Visitors wear a cloth face covering to cover their nose and mouth in the open coworking spaces. This is to protect people around you if you are infected but do not have symptoms.
Face coverings do not have to be worn, unless not advisable by a healthcare professional, against documented industry best practices, or not permitted by federal or state laws/regulations. A face covering is not required if a Member is working alone in an enclosed office space.
1.2 Personal Hygiene
We encourage all Co-Operate@Black Fire Staff, Members and Visitors to consider their personal hygiene when using the coworking space. Below are guidelines for hand washing, hygiene etiquette and best practices.
1.2a Hand Washing
Handwashing is one of the best ways to protect yourself from getting sick.
Washing hands can keep you healthy and prevent the spread of respiratory and diarrheal infections from one person to the next. Germs can spread from other people or surfaces when you:
Touch your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
Prepare or eat food and drinks with unwashed hands
Touch a contaminated surface or objects
Blow your nose, cough, or sneeze into hands and then touch other people’s hands or common objects
Key Times to Wash Hands
You can help by washing your hands often, especially during these key times when you are likely to get and spread germs:
Before, during, and after preparing food
Before eating food
Before and after caring for someone at home who is sick with vomiting or diarrhea
Before and after treating a cut or wound
After using the toilet
After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
After touching garbage
During the COVID-19 pandemic, you should also clean hands: After you have been in a public place and touched an item or surface that may be frequently touched by other people, such as door handles, tables, gas pumps, shopping carts, or electronic cashier registers/screens, etc. Before touching your eyes, nose, or mouth because that’s how germs enter our bodies.
Use Hand Sanitizer When You Can’t Use Soap and Water
Washing hands with soap and water is the best way to get rid of germs in most situations. If soap and water are not readily available, you can use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
Sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of germs on hands in many situations. However,
Sanitizers do not get rid of all types of germs.
Hand sanitizers may not be as effective when hands are visibly dirty or greasy.
Hand sanitizers might not remove harmful chemicals from hands like pesticides and heavy metals.
1.2b Covering Coughs and Sneezes
Covering coughs and sneezes and keeping hands clean can help prevent the spread of serious respiratory illnesses like influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), whooping cough, and COVID-19. Germs can be easily spread by:
Coughing, sneezing, or talking
Touching your face with unwashed hands after touching contaminated surfaces or objects
Touching surfaces or objects that may be frequently touched by other people
To help stop the spread of germs:
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze
Throw used tissues in the trash
If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow, not your hands
2. Cleaning
Cleaning and disinfecting are part of a broad approach to preventing infectious diseases. Other measures include staying home when sick, covering coughs and sneezes, and washing hands often. Below are Co-Operate@Black Fire’s cleaning procedures to prevent infectious diseases specifically through cleaning and disinfecting.
Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that are touched often. Co-Operate@Black Fire will do multiple scheduled daily sanitizing of surfaces and objects that are touched often, such as tables, desks, countertops, doors, armchairs and faucet handles and printers.
Co-Operate@Black Fire will immediately clean surfaces and objects that are visibly soiled. If surfaces or objects are soiled with body fluids or blood, we will use gloves and other standard precautions to avoid coming into contact with the fluid. The spill will be removed, cleaned, and disinfected.
Cleaning and disinfecting correctly. Co-Operate@Black Fire always follows label directions on cleaning products and disinfectants. We wash surfaces with a general household cleaner to remove germs. Objects are rinsed with water and follow with a disinfectant to kill germs.
Use disinfecting wipes on electronic items that are touched often, such as phones and computers. Pay close attention to the directions for using disinfecting wipes. It may be necessary to use more than one wipe to keep the surface wet for the stated length of contact time. Make sure that the electronics can withstand the use of liquids for cleaning and disinfecting.
Use products safely. Pay close attention to hazard warnings and directions on product labels. Cleaning products and disinfectants often call for the use of gloves or eye protection. For example, gloves should always be worn to protect your hands when working with bleach solutions. Do not mix cleaners and disinfectants unless the labels indicate it is safe to do so. Combining certain products (such as chlorine bleach and ammonia cleaners) can result in serious injury or death.
Handle waste properly. Co-Operate@Black Fire has a no-touch waste and recycle receptacles in the Kitchen area. Throw disposable items used to clean surfaces and items in the trash immediately after use. Avoid touching used tissues and other waste when emptying waste baskets. Wash your hands with soap and water after emptying waste baskets and touching used tissues and similar waste.
Cleaning services are provided five nights a week (Monday through Friday) outside of normal working hours. Each night they remove trash, vacuum common areas, and clean the kitchen floors, tabletops, and countertops. They remove trash and recycled materials each night. Each week, they vacuum the floors in offices and workstations and dust common areas. Members should direct any questions or comments about these services to the Co-Operate@Black Fire’s Community Manager.
All Members must do their part to ensure that the offices, workstations, touchdown areas, hallways, and rooms that they use are kept clean and neat. This includes:
Wipe down your desk before you begin work and before you leave the coworking space
Placing all trash and recyclables into the appropriate containers
Ensuring that trash and recycling containers do not obstruct walkways
Cleaning up all spills immediately
When something needs special janitorial attention, notify the Co-Operate@Black Fire’s Community Manager.
3. Redesign of Co-Operate@Black Fire Flex Space
Working from home all the time may not be practical. At Co-Operate@Black Fire our office space has been altered to accommodate safe physical distancing. We have put a limit on the total number of people in our coworking space to protect our Staff, Members and Visitors from potential contagious interactions and to feel safe and comfortable.
3.1 Reception Area
Just inside the door to Suite 300 is a reception area containing upholstered chairs and a coffee
table. This area is available to Co-Operate@Black Fire members for brief conversations with incoming and outgoing guests. This area is considered a high-traffic area and will be cleaned and wiped down multiple times during the day.
3.2 Kitchen/Lunchroom Area
Co-Operate@Black Fire offers a kitchen that’s not only full of wonderful amenities but is continuously cleaned and stocked. While Staff monitors and tidies up continuously, we ask that members assist by marking and tossing their own food from the fridge and feeling a sense of ownership in the space.
An office kitchen needs to be effectively managed, just like every other communal space. The overarching guideline for kitchen etiquette is to be respectful of the kitchen and other’s belongings.
Recyclable disposal plates, cups, napkins, utensils are available and located in the cabinet above the microwave.
Please don’t eat or drink other people’s food or beverages. Items to be shared are left on the kitchen table or marked as shared in the freezer/fridge.
When heating any food or beverage in the microwave oven, ALWAYS cover it with a lid or a paper towel. If you’ve still managed to splatter food or liquid, please wipe it immediately.
Never leave your dirty dishes or silverware in the sink. Wash them right away or rinse them well and pack them in a bag so they’re ready to go home with you for a proper cleaning.
If your food is spoiled in the fridge, throw it away. If spoiled food is accompanied by an offensive odor, do not dispose of it in the lunchroom waste. Please take it to an outdoor dumpster.
Cleaning of the fridge and microwave is not included in our nightly cleaning – Please clean up spills.
Refrigerator will be cleaned out every Friday at the end of business. Please remove any of your items that you don’t want thrown away.
Keep your items neatly organized in the cupboard/fridge and use a reasonable amount of space.
Recycling:
Everything should be rinsed and clean-ish. There is a garbage disposal in our kitchen, rinse your plastic containers and run garbage disposal if any food went down the sink (switch above the sink).
If plastic item is recyclable, please look for a labeled 1-7 in a small triangle.
Nevada states no food/oil-soaked items and specifically says no: paper plates, napkins, greasy pizza boxes
3.3 Copier Area
Co-Operate@Black Fire houses two copiers, which is available for use by Co-Operate@Black Fire Members. This area is considered a high-traffic area and will be cleaned and wiped down multiple times during the day.
3.4 Conference Room and Classroom Areas
Conference Rooms will hold a smaller capacity to adapt physical distancing measures.
Executive Boardroom will hold a total of eight people, maximum
Smaller conference room will hold a total of 4 people, maximum
UNLV Classroom will hold a total of 20 people, maximum
These areas are considered high-traffic and will be cleaned and wiped down multiple times during the day. We ask that Members assist by using disinfectant wipes after using the conference room(s) and/or classroom. An emphasis will be placed on cleaning armchairs, tabletops, door handles, remotes and touch screens.
For all meetings in our flex space, please greet your guests at the entrance and clean up/reset the room when you have completed your meeting. Please ensure that the door is closed during your meetings and be aware of your noise level. Respect a closed door and do not enter unless invited in. When your meeting is complete, please remove all waste to its proper receptacles and place all food and beverages in the kitchen area.
If you find any deficiencies in equipment, please report it to the Co-Operate@Black Fire’s Community Manager as soon as possible.
3.5 Offices, Workstations and Open Desk Areas
Co-Operate@Black Fire redesigned the dedicated workstations and open desk areas. With physical distancing in mind, we have removed chairs to give more distance between Members working in open areas. It is recommended that dedicated offices only have two to three people in an office at one time.
All Members are requested to keep their desks neat, and free of garbage. At the end of the night, place all waste in the appropriate receptacles. Disinfectant wipes are available. Please wipe down your desks, armchairs and door handles before going home.
4. Guests
All Members must check-in their guests with the front desk reception area. Guests are required to sign-in using a QR code to scan from their mobile device. This technology allows a contact-less, healthy and safe check-in process. The guest will be taken to a “Check-In Form” to complete. Visitors will complete their name, email address, company name, and the person they are here to see (host) and symptom assessment questionnaire.
Who is considered a Guest? A Guest is someone that is not a Member of the Co-Operate@Black Fire location. We have a directory of our Members that have dedicated offices, open workstations and Touchdown Members. If they are not in the directory, they are considered a Guest.
5. Safety
Like any coworking space, we are not immune to natural and man-made disasters. Staff, Members and Visitors must collaborate to plan and prepare for these types of emergencies.
Your responsibilities as a Co-Operate@Black Fire member include the following:
Knowing and adhering to the information about the health and safety provided in this guide.
Safeguarding your building key fobs to prevent their loss or unauthorized use.
Turning off any lights or other electrical devices in your workstation(s) when leaving Co-Operate@Black Fire suite.
5.1 Security
There are four types of security that all Members are responsible for:
Internet and data safety
Physical security
The safety of our Members
Protecting your property
5.1.a Internet and Data Safety
Co-Operate@Black Fire has a variety of different mobile workers, consultants, freelance artists, entrepreneurs and small businesses, working in a shared environment sharing a Wi-Fi connection. Please be mindful and exercise good judgement while using the internet. Please refer to our “Wi-Fi Connection” section in this manual.
5.1.b Physical Security
All exits are clearly marked and in working condition. Our Co-Operate@Black Fire suite is open 8am through 5pm, Monday through Friday with an on-site Community Manager who is there to assist. If you require to be in the flex space after hours, please use your assigned key fob. Please ensure that when entering and/or exiting the suite after hours, that all doors remained locked. Please make sure you always protect your key fob and that you never lend it to someone else.
5.1.c The Safety of our Members
In the Co-Operate@Black Fire suite, members are encouraged to lookout for one another. We want to make sure that each Staff, Member, and Guest in our flex space is safe and secure. If you see damage, malfunctions, faulty equipment and/or utilities, or any unusual, questionable, dangerous or suspicious activities anywhere in the flex space please report it immediately to the Co-Operate@Black Fire’s Community Manager.
5.1.d Protecting Your Property
The essential structure of a flex space lends itself to the sharing of information: open plan, flexible use and contact with other like-minded businesses. Members are encouraged to take some practical steps to ensure that they protect their property:
If you intend to discuss confidential topics, book a private conference room in the flex space if one is available
Don’t discuss confidential topics in the open
Don’t leave confidential information – either about your business or other parties – lying around in the flex space
5.2 Harassment
Co-Operate@Black Fire is dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age or religion. Co-Operate@Black Fire is committed to ensuring that the flex space environment is free from discrimination and harassment, and that any discrimination and harassment will not be tolerated under any circumstances.
If a Member engages in harassing behavior, the Co-Operate@Black Fire’s Community Manager may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the offender or expulsion from the space with no refund. If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns; please immediately contact the Co-Operate@Black Fire’s Community Manager and write a detailed account of the situation.
5.3 Unlawful or Prohibited Activities
Members are not allowed to participate in any unlawful or prohibited ways while inside Co-Operate@Black flex space. You may not conduct yourself in a manner that would damage, disable, impair, overburden or cause harm to Co-Operate@Black Fire’s ability to deliver services. The following are prohibited activities that may not happen inside the space, in conjunction with our services or on the property:
Smoking or vaping
Illegal drug use
Intoxicated state
Flammable or hazards materials
5.4 Alcoholic Beverages
Co-Operate@Black Fire does not permit consumption of Alcoholic Beverages in the flex space. Independent consumption of alcohol is not allowed, and in a case, a member is found to be consuming alcohol or in an inebriated stage, Co-Operate@Black Fire will remove the member from the premises and can in desperate circumstances even cancel membership.
While at a mixer, party and/or event that is organized, there may be alcoholic beverages served. Before a mixer, party, and/or event is organized or planned, a request needs to be submitted through the Co-Operate@Black Fire’s Community Manager for approval and to ensure there are no scheduling conflicts. A list will be provided with approved caterers and bartending services for the Member to select from.
5.5 Dangerous Weapons
Dangerous weapons will not be permitted in the Co-Operate@Black Fire flex space as well as Firearms are not allowed on property including the parking lot. This applies to staff, Members and guests that enter the Co-Operate@Black Fire’s suite except for law-enforcement officers in the performance of their duties.
Dangerous weapons include, but are not limited to, all weapons named in Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) 202.350. For purposes of this manual, facsimile weapons are also banned.
Any Member found carrying such weapons will be asked to remove the weapon from the flex space or law enforcement will be contacted.
5.6 Emergencies and After-Hours Care
In the event of an emergency after-hours which entails the safety and well-being of a Member, please contact 911. For all other non-emergencies and after-hours care, can be reported to the Co-Operate@Black Fire’s Community Manager through either a text and/or email using the Quick Contact Info, located on page 4 of this manual.
Co-Operate@Black Fire’s Community Manager will assess the reported problem and determine a reasonable resolution plan based upon the severity of the problem and resources required. Co-Operate@Black Fire will work to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.
