Escape House

Appearance

Approvals, safety and toilets ​

Back to Operations

Working note — 12 August 2026. This is the pre-check brief for the municipality, BH Gmunden and the project designers. It is not an approval or a final legal assessment.

Can the venue take 20 players with the current toilets? ​

Not yet confirmed. The full-venue wave of 8 + 6 + 6 players remains the design target, but 20 players is not an approved maximum occupancy.

The current setup has two toilets. The preliminary upper-floor drawing shows the 14.50 m² wet area with:

  • two WC cubicles, each drawn with a 70 cm door;
  • one shared washbasin; and
  • kitchen and washing-machine connections.

The two toilets may be operationally workable for staggered groups. The drawing is a VORABZUG, so its dimensions and Hall 2's exclusive right to use the facilities still need confirmation in the lease plan. It does not show an accessible WC.

Three issues need an authority answer before the layout is fixed:

  1. AStV § 33 requires at least one lockable WC for up to 15 simultaneously present employees. Customer toilets do not replace the employee facility; where customer toilets exist, employee WCs are to be kept separate from customer use.
  2. The current Upper Austrian building rules apply OIB Guideline 4, May 2023. Depending on the final use and layout, an accessible customer WC may be required. The current cubicles do not appear to meet the guideline's accessible-WC geometry.
  3. If the recurring escape-room operation falls under Upper Austrian event law, the Oö. Veranstaltungssicherheitsverordnung adds a requirement for sufficient toilets for the maximum participant count, separated by sex and, where possible, accessible. Applicability is not yet established.

Decision rule: keep 20 players in the model, but do not sign off the layout or capacity until the authority confirms the toilet, accessibility and occupancy solution in writing.

Approval and safety package ​

Use and operating approval ​

  • Confirm whether the leisure use requires a change of use, building approval and a Betriebsanlagengenehmigung.
  • Obtain the approval path before construction. The federal USP guidance notes that installations capable of affecting life or health can require operating-facility approval and that a formal determination can be requested when applicability is unclear.
  • Put the intended maximum of 20 guests plus staff, opening model, noise, effects, HVAC and parking into the same written concept.

Fire and escape routes ​

Upper Austria currently applies the May 2023 OIB fire-protection guidelines through the Oö. Bautechnikverordnung. The final fire concept must be designed for the actual fit-out rather than inferred from the empty hall.

At minimum, the plan must resolve:

  • escape distance, route width, number and direction of exits;
  • doors that guests can open immediately without a key, tool, puzzle or operator action;
  • emergency lighting, escape signage, alarm/communication and power-failure behaviour;
  • fire compartments and the required rating of partitions, ceilings, penetrations and doors;
  • extinguishers and whether detection, an alarm system or a fire-safety officer is required; and
  • the treatment of fog, lasers, motorised props, batteries, chargers and scenic materials.

The Austrian Labour Inspectorate's escape-route guidance is a useful employee-safety baseline, but the approved guest layout and OIB fire concept control the project.

Game and structural safety ​

  • Emergency release must work independently of cameras, game software, mains power and the operator's normal control interface.
  • Guests need continuous two-way communication and a clear stop procedure.
  • Exposed edges, pinch/crush points, trip hazards, low headroom and unintended climbing routes need a room-by-room risk review.
  • Any elevated, crawl or second-level structure needs structural design, safe access, fall protection, load limits and approval treatment. At least one smaller room remains usable without crawling or climbing.

Cameras and privacy ​

The launch position should be safety live-view without recording or audio, if the room-risk assessment allows it.

  • Live view is still personal-data processing. Define the safety purpose, limit the view to the game rooms and provide privacy information and visible signs before guests enter.
  • Do not place cameras in toilets or changing/private areas.
  • Restrict viewing access to the operator and prevent use for employee performance monitoring.
  • If recording later becomes necessary, document why live view is insufficient, set the shortest justified retention period and implement access controls. The Austrian Data Protection Authority treats 72 hours as a general guideline rather than an automatic entitlement.
  • Cameras supplement supervision; they never replace two-way communication, emergency unlocking or compliant escape routes.

Questions for the first authority call ​

  1. Can this part of the building be approved for three escape rooms, reception/waiting and up to 20 guests plus one operator?
  2. Are the two existing WC cubicles sufficient? Must one be staff-only, and is an accessible or additional customer WC required?
  3. Does Upper Austrian event law apply to the normal reservation-led operation?
  4. Which building, operating-facility and fire approvals are needed before construction and before opening?
  5. What escape-route, compartment, door, detection, alarm, emergency-lighting and extinguisher requirements should the approval plan assume?
  6. Are limited elevated/crawl structures approvable, and which structural evidence is required?
  7. Is safety live-view without recording acceptable, subject to the documented privacy setup?

Source record ​