The Bottle Yard Studios has published its ‘Covid-19 Site Operating Procedures’ approved by Bristol City Council’s Corporate Health & Safety Department, marking the facility officially open to active productions once again.
“These are exceptional circumstances and as a multi-occupancy site, the health and safety of our clients, tenants, staff, contractors and visitors is of utmost importance to us. Since productions were forced to pause in early March, my team has been working to put measures in place to enable productions to resume activity on site as safely as possible. I’m pleased to say that the necessary inspections have been undertaken by Bristol City Council and our Covid-19 Site Operating Procedures have been approved, meaning we’re once again fully open to productions.” – Fiona Francombe, Studios Director
The studio’s guidance includes:
Social Distancing: Workers should follow the guidance on staying at home and away from others (social distancing). Where they cannot work from home, they must follow the same principles of social distancing while travelling to and from work and while at work.
Self Isolation: Anyone who either has a high temperature or a new persistent cough or is within 14 days of the day when the first member of their household showed symptoms of Coronavirus (Covid-19) should not come to site, but must follow the guidance on self-isolation.
Person at increased risk: Anyone who is at increased risk of severe illness from Coronavirus (Covid-19) is strongly advised to work at home and should be particularly stringent about following social distancing measures.
If someone falls ill: If a worker develops a high temperature or a persistent cough while at work, they should ensure their manager or supervisor is informed, return home immediately, and avoid touching anything.
The studios also advise that if it’s unavoidable to cough or sneeze on site then a worker must do so into a tissue and put it into a bin or if they do not have tissues, cough and sneeze into the crook of their elbow. They must then follow the guidance on self-isolation and not return to work until their period of self-isolation has been completed.
The document – which can be viewed in full here – has been drafted in line with government policies and industry guidance around Covid-19 from organisations including Public Health England (PHE), World Health Organisation, British Film Commission, BECTU, pact and Bristol City Council. It provides detailed on-site protocols for tenants, productions and visitors to follow, covering topics such as hygiene and social distancing in communal spaces, general site access, movement around site and parking. It also outlines operational measures put in place at the Studios, including cleaning regimes, signage, waste removal, WC and hand sanitising stations.
“We continue to be in close discussion with productions that were active at the Studios at the time of lockdown, such as Tipping Point and Andy’s Aquatic Adventures, which is now the first production to resume filming as of this week. Other productions that were scheduled to film at the Studios this year are also in close dialogue with us and we’ll support them in every way we can as a facility, to achieve their goal of getting up and running again safely.” – Fiona Francombe, Studios Director
The Studios has a designated Covid-19 Supervisor as the point of liaison between all productions and permanent tenants on-site, who, to ensure a free flow of up-to-date information, will each be required to designate their own Covid-19 Supervisor.
