{"id":3560,"date":"2018-12-28T08:46:38","date_gmt":"2018-12-28T08:46:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/invitation2events.co.uk\/blog\/?p=3560"},"modified":"2018-12-28T08:46:38","modified_gmt":"2018-12-28T08:46:38","slug":"locked-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/invitation2events.co.uk\/blog\/?p=3560","title":{"rendered":"Locked In!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Managing safety in Escape Rooms\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

TIC Insurance<\/a> recently wrote an article on “How To Manage Escape Room Risks Without Spoiling The Fun”.\u00a0While it notes that every business must comply with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the legislation requires businesses to take \u2018reasonable steps\u2019 to prevent accidents or injuries. <\/span><\/p>\n

So what are \u2018reasonable steps\u2019 as far as an escape room goes? And when does an escape room switch from being a play of amusement to a place of incarceration? Do escape rooms really lock you in?<\/span><\/p>\n

For a start, a lot of escape room website state that players are not actually locked in the room. Either the entrance door remains unlocked, so players can escape the way they entered or there are panic buttons that release the doors should players want\/need to leave. So no panic there.<\/span><\/p>\n

Escape rooms offer an immersive adventure. That immersion can be lost if escape rooms add “mind the step” and “mind your head” signs around the place. You don’t want to spoil the illusion and reveal the existence of a hidden room by signage.\u00a0 Games Masters can include general safety instruction during their briefing, including notes to mind your heads and mind where you step instead.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fire alarm sensors and electrical wiring can be camouflaged to fit into the theme of the room. And things that must not be touched for safety reasons can be marked.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most Games Masters stress that their games involve logic and problem-solving skills not physical strength and that players are not to destroy the props.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Amusement or incarceration?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Verisk insurance<\/a> published an article about escaping \u2018escape room\u2019 risk in 2017. It explored\u00a0how escape rooms should be classified.<\/span><\/p>\n

One school of thought is that escape rooms can be rooms used for assembly and may be considered as special amusement buildings. However, another school of thought is that escape rooms more closely fit the definition of a true lockup.<\/span><\/p>\n

The NFPA<\/a> defines a lockup as \u201can incidental use area in other than a detention and correctional occupancy where occupants are restrained and such occupants are mostly incapable of self-preservation because of security measures not under the occupants\u2019 control.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

So while all escape rooms are meant to be fun, some also restrain the players. Does this also restrict the players ability for self-preservation? <\/span><\/p>\n

The safety implications are obvious. If someone is locked in a room without an easy means of escape, what happens in the event of a fire or other disaster? What if someone becomes ill or is injured?<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, as noted above most escape room websites state that players are not actually locked in the room. Either the entrance door remains unlocked or there are panic button door releases.<\/span><\/p>\n

Great, so this covers rooms without restraints, but what if the room includes players being chained up or locked in cells? In this case Verisk insurance\u00a0recommend that:<\/span><\/p>\n