If you aren’t looking for a horror story when visiting your local haunted house, you won’t have to worry in at least one state where inspections are required in order for them to operate the spooky domiciles.
According to the Illinois Department of Labor and Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal, the inspections of haunted houses across the state of Illinois are underway to ensure their safety.
Before the haunted houses can be open for what’s commonly referred to as “spooky season,” they will have to be inspected by the OSFM. Haunted houses that are operated by educational, charitable, or non-profit religious organizations can apply for an exemption from IDOL inspections.
Illinois State Fire Marshal James Rivera stressed the importance of these attractions being inspected.
“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,” Rivera said.
When inspecting the haunted houses, the State Fire Marshal’s Office is looking to ensure exits and pathways are clear and meet standards, open flame devices meet requirements, furnishings, and decorations are flame resistant, and workers are trained and prepared for emergencies.
State law also requires criminal background checks and sex offender registry checks for all amusement attraction workers. They also are required to have a written substance abuse policy that includes random drug testing.
“Our inspectors have the public’s safety in mind, but we are always willing to work with owners on how they can properly follow the codes in place to safely welcome guests,” Rivera said.