National Land Management Agency: Strengthening safety in escape rooms, safety guidelines in place

Central News Agency (Taipei, May 22) The National Land Management Agency (NLMA) of the Ministry of the Interior announced today that it has been consulting with local governments since 2018 to classify escape room venues as 'D-1' category buildings, with safety reporting frequencies determined by floor area. Furthermore, to strengthen the autonomous disaster management capabilities of these venues, safety guidelines covering fire and earthquake prevention have been in place since 2017. Following an incident on the 10th where a female employee at the Taipei escape room 'Logic' died on the 15th after suffocating while dressed as a hanging ghost, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an stated today that the city has taken the lead in establishing the 'Taipei Immersive Content Experience Industry Safety Guidelines' and has proactively managed these businesses under the 'D-1' category of the Building Act. He urged the central government to establish uniform national standards. The NLMA explained in a press release that because these 'interactive experience venues' involve specific spatial decorations and access controls, regulations have been established to protect consumer safety. The NLMA noted that since 2018, it has reached a consensus with local governments to classify these venues as D-1. Venues with a floor area of 300 square meters or more are required to report public safety inspections annually, while those under 300 square meters must report every two years. New Taipei City has already implemented these requirements. Additionally, on February 8, 2017, the 'Safety Guidelines for Interactive Experience Venues' were issued, requiring operators to autonomously manage fire safety, earthquake safety, and emergency response measures. The NLMA emphasized that operators must strictly follow these guidelines and integrate them into their activity management. Local building authorities are also urged to enforce building management and public safety inspections based on the nature of the venue and to strictly penalize any violations.