This guide has been produced for all employees, customers and visitors to Westlakes Science Park and applies to the site itself and all buildings that are owned and operated by BEC.
BEC recognise that returning to the workplace during the coronavirus pandemic may cause concern and is committed to the safety of all those attending our site and our buildings. In line with UK Government guidelines, BEC has undertaken risk assessments in all of our buildings and is implementing arrangements to minimise risk for employees, customers and visitors. These changes and additional measures that have been put in place on site and in our buildings are to help reduce the risk of the virus to you while in the workplace, for the measures to be effective everyone must do their bit and Be Extra Careful.
Our Estate
At Westlakes Science Park we are fortunate to have access to wonderful outdoor areas and on-site facilities, we want you to be able to continue to enjoy these areas safely and have set out some guidance to support you in doing so.
Getting to Westlakes
We recognise that, in line with UK Government guidelines, people may avoid the use of public transport when travelling to work. We have almost 1,500 car parking spaces on site, you must use the car parking area dedicated to the building that you are visiting to minimise the risk of transmission. Where no spaces are available in that car park, overspill parking is located adjacent to Robinson House and at the Innovation Centre. To monitor appropriate usage of car parks our Facilities Team are issuing occupiers with passes to display in their vehicle.
Those travelling on foot or using public transport must apply the 2m social distance when walking throughout the Park.
On-site catering facilities
Our on-site catering facility at Bassenthwaite Pavilion is open from 9am till 3pm.
Note that while we strive to minimise single use packaging in our facilities, this may be necessary in order to provide services safely.
Footpaths
When using the footpaths in the Park, you must observe the 2m social distance at all times. If necessary, you should use the roadway or cross the road to ensure you maintain the 2m social distance.
You should not walk in close proximity to others while walking around the Park.
Smoking shelters
The social distancing guidelines must be observed in the designated smoking shelters on site. Smoking shelters will operate on a one in/one out basis.
If there is insufficient room in the shelter, you must wait until someone has left the area and created a space for you.
Other outside areas
We have a number of outside seating areas on the Park, While we encourage you to continue to use these areas the 2m social distance must be maintained at all times.
Seating areas are limited to 1 person at a time. If an area is in use you must wait at a safe (minimum 2m) distance until the area is vacated before sitting down.
To allow others to enjoy outdoor seating areas, please remain for a brief time only.
Meeting and events spaces
We recognise that meetings and events may still take place and will support you when this is required. We ask that you first consider whether your meeting/event can take place via video/telephone conferencing. Otherwise, we advise you to minimise the number of attendees and use the largest available meeting and events space where possible.
For your safety we have removed shared use items (mugs, pens, notepads, sweet bowls) from our meeting and events spaces. We are able to provide hospitality in the form of individual ‘sack lunches’.
Attendees will be required to check in using the NHS Track and Trace Service an sign the Fire Register. Attendees are also asked to ’wipe in/wipe out’ of meeting and events spaces using the sanitisation stations provided. Meeting and events spaces will be cleaned in between uses – this may impact the availability of space for hire.
Our Buildings
As landlord, BEC owns and is responsible for 13 of the 21 buildings located at Westlakes Science Park, arrangements for BEC owned buildings are detailed below.
Risk assessments
BEC have undertaken risk assessments on all of our buildings, risk assessments can be viewed upon request by emailing facilities@discoverbec.com.
To ensure the safety of our employees, our customers and our visitors it has been necessary to introduce a number of changes to how you use our buildings and how our team support you, this guide is designed to help you familiarise yourself with these changes.
Building safety
All building safety and service checks have been undertaken as normal since March and will continue as normal throughout.
If you have any building safety concerns please call us on 01946 595 200 or email facilities@discoverbec.com to advise.
Building cleaning
Our delivery partner, Bulloughs is delivering an enhanced cleaning regime in our buildings at Westlakes Science Park. This includes :-
- Increased frequency of cleaning for regular touch points such as door handles, bannisters etc.
- Increased frequency of cleaning for toilets and shared kitchen facilities.
- Cleaning operatives will be on site from 9am to 5pm to support.
Bulloughs are able to undertake deep cleaning and/or enhanced regimes on behalf of tenants upon request and cleaning consumables (personal hand sanitiser, wipes and cleaning spray) can be purchased from our main reception facility at Ingwell Hall if required (subject to availability).
To discuss your own cleaning arrangements or purchase consumables please call us on 01946 595 200 or email facilities@discoverbec.com.
Access to our buildings
Only tenants within buildings will be able to access the building or grant access to building visitors. Access should be restricted to essential visitors only.
All of our buildings have an access system, where this system does not create a touch point, you will access your building as normal. Where this system creates a touch point the doors will be held open between 9am and 5pm unless a building specific arrangement has been reached.
Note that it is no longer possible to access or walk through Ingwell Hall via the side entrances if you are not a tenant within that building. The main entrance to the front of Ingwell Hall must be used to gain access to the building.
Remember!
To minimise movement and therefore transmission risk, you must use the car park (if required) that has been allocated to your building. If this is not possible you must use the overflow car park located adjacent to Robinson House and at the Innovation Centre.
Our expectations of tenants
BEC expects tenants to undertake their own risk assessments for the space that they occupy; to follow Public Health England and UK Government advice to maintain social distancing within the workplace; and to encourage their people to follow the guidelines and signage across our Estate. Please see ‘Support’ for links to useful information, risk assessments etc. if required.
To ensure that our team can effectively support your return to the workplace, tenants are asked to complete a ‘Tenant re-occupation form’, available from our Facilities Team at Ingwell Hall (call 01946 595 200 or by emailing facilities@discoverbec.com) or from our website www.discoverbec.com and supply a copy of their own risk assessment ideally five working days prior to returning to the workplace and at least one working day prior as a minimum.
Our People
The wellbeing of our team is incredibly important to us. To enable our team to work with confidence and support our customers effectively we will support our team at every stage.
Returning to work
Those members of our team that are able to work effectively from home continue to do so. For those members of our team that require to attend work in order to carry out their role, we have staggered working patterns to minimise the number of people on site. Team members that are classed as clinically vulnerable should continue to follow Public Health England advice.
Tenant services such as postal services, meetings and hospitality remain operational.
Supporting our people
Line managers meet (virtually where possible) with individual team members on a regular basis in line with our current processes to review training and development needs that arise and to undertake regular welfare checks. Our Chief Executive will continue to issue regular internal communications to the BEC team.
Contacting our people
Our Chief Executive can be contacted via Paula Mewse on 01946 595 200.
Our Head of Estates can be contacted on 01946 595 200 or by email facilities@discoverbec.com.
Our Facilities Manager/Team can be contacted on 01946 595 200 or by email facilities@discoverbec.com.
Our Finance Team can be contacted on 01946 595 269 or by email accounts@discoverbec.com.
Keeping it clean
The key principles of the UK Government guidelines are social (workplace) distancing and effective hygiene. You can help ensure effective hygiene is maintained in several ways.
Building cleaning arrangements
Our delivery partner, Bulloughs are delivering an enhanced cleaning regime in our buildings at Westlakes Science Park. This includes :-
- Increased frequency of cleaning for regular touch points.
- Increased frequency of cleaning for toilets and shared kitchen facilities.
- Cleaning operatives will be on site from 9am to 5pm to support.
Bulloughs are able to undertake deep cleaning and/or enhanced regimes on behalf of tenants upon request. Cleaning consumables (personal hand sanitiser, wipes and cleaning spray) can be purchased from our main reception facility at Ingwell Hall if required (subject to availability).
To discuss you cleaning arrangements or purchase consumables please call 01946 595 200 or email facilities@discoverbec.com to discuss your request.
Personal hygiene
The NHS advice on effective handwashing and hygiene procedures must be followed. Protective barriers and additional hygiene points have been installed around our buildings to improve hygiene levels. Information posters are on display in various locations as a reminder to everyone.
Wash your hands with soap and water for at least twenty seconds on a regular basis and in particular on arrival at and departure from the workplace. Additional hand sanitisation points have been installed throughout our buildings but remember soap and water is more effective than sanitiser.
If you have to cough or sneeze use a tissue and dispose of it immediately. If a tissue is not available, you should use the crook of your elbow. Wash your hands afterwards.
You should avoid touching your face.
Cleaning your workplace
You must help maintain good standards of cleanliness by cleaning your own workspace (desk, keyboard, mouse, phone etc.) at the end of your working day.
Cleaning consumables should be provided to enable you to do so. Personal sanitisers, wipes etc. can be purchased from our main reception at Ingwell Hall if required (subject to availability).
Shared kitchen facilities
There are shared kitchen facilities throughout our buildings, you are advised not to use shared facilities if possible.
Cleaning materials will be available in all our shared kitchen facilities. You should clean preparation areas, handles, taps etc. before use and wash your hands prior to preparing food and beverages.
For your safety, BEC have removed shared crockery and cutlery, storage containers etc. You are advised to bring your own and retain this in your own office when not in use.
Our shared kitchen facilities operate on a one in/one out policy to ensure social distancing can be observed.
Waste management
Existing arrangements for recyclables will continue as normal.
Waste collection from shared kitchen facilities and toilets will be more frequent in line with increased cleaning schedules.
Ins and outs
To help you observe social distancing guidelines and minimise transmission risk, we have made some changes to the way you access our buildings and communal spaces.
Reception areas
To protect our team and our visitors, our reception areas have been fitted with protective screens. Processes for signing in/out and collecting mail etc. have been amended to maintain social distancing.
Visitors
Visitors should report directly to the building they are visiting. Please ensure visitors have adequate directions to enable them to do so.
Where visitors are reporting to a BEC reception facility, they must report to the team member on duty and sign in with them. They must report and sign out at the end of their visit.
Our reception areas are clearly marked to ensure social distancing measures can be observed, however if the area is already populated please remain outside or in your vehicle until the area is clear.
Tenants
Tenants should only enter the building in which they are based and in line with their own arrangements, we recommend that tenants keep non-essential visitors to a minimum.
Contactors
Contractors must continue to report to our main reception facility at Ingwell Hall and will be asked to sign in with the team member on duty. Only one member of the contractors team should report to the reception.
Where the contractor requires keys to access other areas, these will sanitised on issue and on return by the team member on duty.
As a contractor you must observe the guidelines as set out by Public Health England, UK Government and within this guide while working on site.
Communal areas
We have adopted a one way system where possible in our communal areas. Visual indicators and signage should be adhered to at all times.
We have removed or reduced seating in communal areas to ensure social distancing guidelines can be adhered to. If an area is in use and it is not possible to adhere to the 2m social distance you must wait until the area has been vacated before entering.
Masks must be worn when moving around within our buildings.
Toilets
Our toilets operate on a one-in/one-out policy to ensure social distancing can be observed. Visual indicators and signage should be adhered at all times.
If an area is in use you must wait until the area has been vacated before entering and ensure you follow the hygiene guidelines that are displayed, particularly washing your hands.
Shared kitchen facilities
Our shared kitchen facilities operate on a one-in/one-out policy to ensure social distancing can be observed.
If an area is in use you must wait until the area has been vacated before entering and ensure that you follow the hygiene guidelines that are displayed.
Lifts and staircases
Where possible please avoid using the lifts in our buildings, where this is not possible lifts should contain no more than one person at a time.
When using the staircases, always stick to the left hand side, where the staircase is not sufficiently wide to observe social distancing you should wait at the top or the bottom until the passage is clear.
The 2m bubble
The key principles of the UK Government guidelines are social (workplace) distancing and effective hygiene. To protect yourself the following principles should be adopted by all employees, customers and visitors on site and in our buildings.
Social distancing
Direct physical contact must be avoided completely, this includes handshakes and hugging for example.
Maintain a minimum 2 metre social distance at all times when moving around the site and within buildings.
Adhere to signage and floor markings that have been put in place to guide you at all times.
Reception areas
To protect our team and our visitors, our reception areas have been fitted with protective screens. Processes for signing in/out and collecting mail etc. have been amended to maintain social distancing.
One-in/one-out systems
We have adopted one-in/one-out protocols in most of our communal areas, toilets and shared kitchen facilities. Visual indicators and signage should be adhered to at all times.
Mail services
To minimise contact, pigeon holes have been re-sited from reception areas and mailboxes installed in each building and mail collected by the occupier. Large parcels will be held in the reception area and a ticket included in your mailbox to advise you. Please advise our team when you are ready to collect large parcels and they will be brought into the communal area for you to collect. Incoming and outgoing mail should be restricted to essential business related mail only.
One way systems
We have adopted one way systems in most of our buildings. Visual indicators and signage should be adhered to at all times.
We're all in this together
The UK Government and Public Health England have put in place guidelines, which BEC have adopted in full to minimise the risks posed by the coronavirus pandemic. For these guidelines to be effective, we must all play our part and Be Extra Careful.
Raising concerns
To ensure everyone’s safety, it is vital that you raise any concerns you may have directly with our Facilities Manager. You can do this in a number of ways:-
Call 01946 595 200
Email facilities@discoverbec.com
Visit Reception at Ingwell Hall
Write ECWC (Properties) Ltd t/a BEC, Ingwell Hall Ingwell Drive, Westlakes Science Park Moor Row, Cumbria, CA24 3JZ
Keeping up to date
This page will be updated regularly.
If you’d like to receive email updates please email us at info@discoverbec.com and use ‘Covid-19 updates’ as the subject heading.
Health and wellbeing
The changes we’ve seen during the coronavirus pandemic; working from home; home-schooling our children; missing contact with family, friends and work colleagues; or having to be in the workplace take time to get used to.
Adapting to lifestyle changes, managing the fear of contracting the virus and worrying about people close to us who are particularly vulnerable is challenging for all of us and can be particularly difficult for people with mental health conditions.
Helpline Numbers
- Coronavirus helpline – 0808 196 3651
- NHS – 0344 477 5774
- Mind – 0300 123 3393
- Samaritans – 0845 790 9090
Accessing support
A range of support is available for business and individuals.
- https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
- https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
- https://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/risk/index.htm
Are you able to offer support to other tenants? Maybe you can provide risk assessments, guidance, PPE or signage. If so, we’d love to hear from you and feature your details here.