Illinois conducting safety inspections of haunted houses ahead of spooky season

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTVO) — The Illinois Department of Labor and the State Fire Marshall are conducting inspections of haunted house attractions before they open for Halloween.

All haunted houses are required to be inspected by the Fire Marshall prior to opening, although those operated by non-profit religious, educational, or charitable organizations may be exempt.

“We want visitors to haunted houses to have a spooky time, but we don’t want that to turn into a scary situation due to a fire that can be prevented by venues taking proper fire safety mitigations measures,” said Illinois State Fire Marshal James A. Rivera. “Our inspectors have the public’s safety in mind but are always willing to work with owners on how they can properly follow the codes in place to safely welcome guests.”

Officials said two fires in the 1970s and 1980s led to tighter safety restrictions at commercial haunted house attractions.

The State Fire Marshal’s office looks for the following during an inspection:

• Exits and pathways must be wide enough to account for the maximum number of people in the amusement,
• Limited number of dead-end paths,
• Provision of panic hardware on exit doors,
• Restrictions on open flame devices or pyrotechnic special effects, Furnishings and decorations are required to be flame resistant,
• All workers must be trained and prepared for actions to be taken during emergencies.

In addition to checking the facility’s safety, state law requires a background check and sex offender registry check for amusement attraction workers, and a substance abuse policy that includes random drug testing.

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