We have been working hard over the last several weeks to develop a set of Health and Safety Standards that will ensure that everyone feels safe and comfortable as we come back to working at Forge.  Our number one priority is to make Forge a safe and healthy working environment for all of our members.  With that being said, a few changes to the way are all used to working at Forge had to be made.

General Guidance

• Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and water for 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze.
• If you don’t have a tissue, sneeze/cough into your sleeve or arm.
• Stay at home if you are sick or someone in your household is sick. If you or someone in your household is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 please stay away for the CDC recommended time of 14 days.
• Maintain a distance of 6 ft. from other members as best as you can.
• Wear a face covering or mask that covers the nose and mouth when social distancing is not possible, as mandated in the state of Alabama.
• Members and guests will be asked to check in at the front desk when they arrive at Forge.

Cleaning Procedures:

1. Forge staff will conduct regular cleaning and disinfecting of shared spaces and high touch points.
   • A cleaning log will be posted in the kitchen and bathrooms for transparency and your peace of mind!
   • Forge Staff will disinfect high touch points at 8 am, 10 am, 12 pm, and 2 pm every day.
2. Disinfecting wipes will be made available in each phone booth and cubby. Please wipe down the booth and door handles after each use.
3. Nightly cleaning services will continue.
   • If you have a private office and you do not want the cleaners to enter your office to remove your trash, please let us know.

Coworking Procedures:

1. We have arranged seating and set up signs to help maximize use while maintaining social distancing guidelines. Please do not move or rearrange furniture.
2. Please use the provided signs to indicate your work station.
   • When you arrive at Forge please take a sign from the supply table, and once you have chosen you workstation place it at on the table so that it reads: “This workspace is currently being used”
   • When you leave for the day, please flip the sign over so that it reads: “This workspace has been used”
     • This will let other members know someone has used that space.
   • Forge staff will clean and sanitize each workspace, and remove and sanitize the sign signaling to other members that the space is now available!
3. Please limit your movement within the space by using one workspace for the duration of your day.
4. When social distancing is not possible, members are encouraged to wear a face covering or mask that covers the nose and mouth, according to the statewide mandate.  While using shared spaces, please wear a mask or face covering that covers your nose and mouth according to the statewide mandate. If you take your mask off while at your workspace, please remember to put your mask back on if you get up to go to the bathroom, use the kitchen, or visit the front desk – any time that you may be unable to maintain a 6 foot distance from other coworkers.

Kitchen Procedures:

1. Please limit the number of people in the kitchen to 2 and follow the spacing guidelines provided on the floor.
2. Please wash your hands immediately when you enter the kitchen and/or use a pair of disposable gloves. Dispose of the gloves upon exiting the kitchen and wash your hands.
3. When selecting a snack or drink, please only touch what you plan to take and take whatever you touch!
   • Continue to send your snack purchases to Kelsey or Katelyn via Slack or email.
4. We are enforcing a strict policy of nightly cleanings of the fridge so please bring only what you need for the day and take everything with you at the end of the day. This includes any food containers, drinks, condiments, etc.
5. We will spot check using the nest so please follow these procedures to help make everyone at Forge feel safe!

Conference Rooms:

1. Conference rooms are only available for bookings until further notice, please do not use a conference room without making a booking.
2. Please follow new capacity guidelines when booking and using the conference rooms:
   • Cahaba Room: 2 people maximum
   • Vulcan Room: 4 people maximum
   • Podcast Room: 2 people maximum
3. A buffer time between conference room bookings has been implemented so that Forge staff can clean and sanitize the room between use.
4. The pow wow room is now only available for use as flexible office space rental by day, week or month.
   • All open offices will also be available for day rental.
5. Forge conference rooms and flexible private offices will be open for non member bookings. The same capacity and cleaning protocols will apply.
6. Please limit guests you may bring to Forge to one at a time, unless using the Vulcan Room for a meeting.
   • If bringing a guest into the shared coworking space, please notify us via Slack or Email so that we can “check them in” in a contactless manner or come by the front desk when they arrive so we can check them in. We will need the name and email of each guest.
   • You are responsible for ensuring that your guests comply with the Health and Safety Procedures listed here.
7. While we will clean and sanitize surfaces in conference rooms between bookings, it is your decision who you share a conference room with and whether or not you wear mask while using the room.

Contact Tracing at Forge:

If any member feels sick and especially if they display symptoms of fever, cough, shortness of breath, and/or loss of taste or smell, we ask that you do not come in to work at Forge. We encourage all members to follow CDC Guidelines if you are sick.

If you have been in Forge 2 days prior to developing symptoms or testing positive for Covid-19 please contact Kim Lee via email (kim@workatforge.com) so that we can follow contact tracing protocols. We will notify any members who were also present in the space at the same time during those 2 days. We will not share the names of any members who test positive to the Forge community.

• Forge will not share the names of any members who test positive to the Forge community.
• If we deem necessary, Forge may close for 24-48 hours after notification of a member testing positive in order to allow staff to clean and disinfect the space, after which we will reopen. We will notify all members if this if it occurs.

We will follow CDC Recommended Cleaning if someone tests positive.

We will continue to monitor any developments and will update these guidelines and procedures as needed. We will communicate any changes to members. We appreciate your understanding and compliance. Let’s get through this together!