Compliance Management for Escape Rooms
Handle fire safety, room equipment, and customer operations with digital tools built for immersive experiences.
The Challenge
Escape rooms present unique compliance challenges - customers are deliberately locked in themed environments with potential fire safety concerns, complex props and electronics that can cause injury, and unusual spatial layouts that may confuse emergency egress. Fire services scrutinise locked-room experiences heavily, and prop mechanisms from simple locks to complex electronics need regular testing. With small teams running multiple rooms, paper-based systems can't ensure every emergency release is tested, every prop is checked, and every customer is properly briefed before being locked in.
How Assistant Manager Solves Escape Rooms Compliance
Each module is designed to address the specific challenges escape rooms businesses face every day.
Checklist Management
Escape rooms need session-by-session checks that verify emergency exits work, props are safe and in position, and rooms are properly reset - with evidence that satisfies fire service scrutiny
The Problems
Why This Matters for Escape Rooms
- Emergency exit systems are tested sporadically rather than before every session, and there's no documented proof that magnetic locks, breakout buttons, and emergency lighting work
Fire service inspection finds no evidence of systematic emergency exit testing, and question whether customers can actually escape in an emergency
- Props, puzzles, and mechanical elements aren't checked between sessions, and damage or faults from previous groups aren't identified until they fail or injure someone
A customer is injured by a faulty prop, and investigation reveals no documented inspection before that session - just assumptions it was 'fine because it worked yesterday'
The Solution
How Checklist Management Helps
Room-by-room digital checklists with emergency system verification, prop condition checks, and reset confirmation before each session
Every emergency exit is documented as tested before sessions, every prop is verified safe, and managers see instantly when any check is overdue
Use Cases:
- • Emergency exit and magnetic lock release testing before each session
- • Emergency lighting and fire detection verification
- • Prop safety and condition checks between groups
- • Puzzle reset verification and element positioning
- • Electrical and electronic component safety checks
- • Room cleanliness and sanitisation verification
- • End-of-day shutdown and security procedures
Feature Screenshot
Checklist Management
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Emergency exit systems are tested sporadically rather than before every session, and there's no documented proof that magnetic locks, breakout buttons, and emergency lighting work
Real Scenario
"Fire officers visit and ask for proof that emergency releases work. Your paper log shows 'fire check done' each morning, but there's no detail on what was tested. They ask you to demonstrate - and the emergency button in Room 2 doesn't work. The room is closed pending remediation."
Example 2: Props, puzzles, and mechanical elements aren't checked between sessions, and damage or faults from previous groups aren't identified until they fail or injure someone
Real Scenario
"A customer cuts their hand on a prop with a sharp edge. Investigation reveals the damage happened during the previous session but wasn't spotted or reported. Your pre-session check log says 'all rooms ready' with no detail on what was actually inspected."
Employee Scheduling
Escape room venues often operate with small teams who need to be trained for specific rooms and their unique emergency procedures - scheduling must ensure qualified coverage
The Problems
Why This Matters for Escape Rooms
- Sessions run with minimum staffing but no verification that game masters are trained for specific rooms, or that someone with first aid training is always on site
Untrained game masters don't know room-specific emergency procedures, or an incident occurs with no first aider available
- Small teams mean one person often covers reception, game mastering, and cleaning between back-to-back sessions, with no time for proper checks
Safety checks are skipped when solo staff are rushing between tasks, and quality suffers during busy periods
The Solution
How Employee Scheduling Helps
Room-qualified scheduling ensuring staff know specific room procedures, mandatory first aid coverage, and workload visibility to prevent solo operation during peaks
Every session has a qualified game master, first aid coverage is guaranteed, and scheduling prevents understaffing during busy periods
Use Cases:
- • Room-specific game master qualification verification
- • First aid coverage for all operating hours
- • Minimum staffing enforcement during peak periods
- • Multi-room coverage planning for small teams
- • Break scheduling without compromising coverage
- • Event and private hire staffing requirements
- • Cross-training visibility for flexible scheduling
Feature Screenshot
Employee Scheduling
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Sessions run with minimum staffing but no verification that game masters are trained for specific rooms, or that someone with first aid training is always on site
Real Scenario
"A customer panics and hyperventilates in a horror-themed room. The game master on duty has never worked that room and doesn't know the quick-exit procedure. They freeze while the customer's condition worsens. The owner is in meetings off-site - nobody trained is available."
Example 2: Small teams mean one person often covers reception, game mastering, and cleaning between back-to-back sessions, with no time for proper checks
Real Scenario
"Saturday afternoon: one game master is running 4 rooms solo. Between sessions, they're resetting puzzles, greeting customers, and taking bookings. The pre-session safety check is reduced to 'did I reset the puzzles?' - emergency systems aren't tested."
Training & Development
Escape rooms need room-specific training that covers unique emergency exits, prop hazards, and customer safety procedures - with standardised briefings that ensure customers know how to get help
The Problems
Why This Matters for Escape Rooms
- Game masters learn rooms by playing them once, with no structured training on emergency procedures, customer panic management, or room-specific safety considerations
When emergencies occur, staff don't know proper procedures for their specific room - where the manual release is, how to override locks, or how to evacuate confused customers
- Customer briefings vary wildly between staff, with some giving detailed safety information and others rushing through to start the game faster
Customers don't know about emergency exits, panic buttons, or how to signal for help - creating genuine distress and potential injury when things go wrong
The Solution
How Training & Development Helps
Room-specific training with emergency procedure verification, standardised briefing scripts with completion tracking, and practical assessment before game mastering
Every game master demonstrates competency for each room they work, briefings are consistent and comprehensive, and fire service inspections find documented training
Use Cases:
- • Room-specific emergency procedure training
- • Customer briefing script training and assessment
- • Panic and distress management training
- • First aid certification tracking
- • Fire safety and evacuation training
- • Prop operation and safety training per room
- • New room onboarding and competency verification
- • Customer service and experience training
Feature Screenshot
Training & Development
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Game masters learn rooms by playing them once, with no structured training on emergency procedures, customer panic management, or room-specific safety considerations
Real Scenario
"A fire alarm sounds during a session. The game master opens the wrong door (leading deeper into the building) because they've never practiced emergency evacuation for that room. Customers are confused and scared before eventually finding the correct exit."
Example 2: Customer briefings vary wildly between staff, with some giving detailed safety information and others rushing through to start the game faster
Real Scenario
"A customer has a panic attack and wants to leave immediately. They can't find the emergency button because the briefing didn't mention it. They bang on the door and injure their hand. Video review shows the briefing lasted 30 seconds and didn't mention safety procedures."
Risk Assessment
Escape rooms need risk assessments covering physical hazards from props and confined spaces, plus psychological risks from themes and scare content - with room-specific detail
The Problems
Why This Matters for Escape Rooms
- Room risk assessments were done when each room was built and never updated when props were added, lighting changed, or customer feedback revealed unexpected hazards
Risk assessments don't reflect current room configurations, and when incidents occur, documented controls don't match actual procedures
- Horror and scare-themed rooms have no specific risk assessment for psychological effects, despite deliberately creating stress and fear responses
When a customer has a genuine panic attack or psychological distress, you can't demonstrate you assessed and mitigated these foreseeable risks
The Solution
How Risk Assessment Helps
Room-specific risk assessments with prop-level hazard tracking, theme-specific psychological risk assessment for scare content, and automatic review prompts when rooms are modified
Every room has current, specific risk assessment, modifications trigger reassessment, and psychological risks are properly documented for themed content
Use Cases:
- • Room-specific physical hazard assessments
- • Horror and scare content psychological risk assessments
- • Confined space and claustrophobia risk assessments
- • Electrical and electronic prop risk assessments
- • Emergency exit and fire safety assessments
- • New room commissioning risk assessments
- • Prop modification and addition risk reviews
Feature Screenshot
Risk Assessment
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Room risk assessments were done when each room was built and never updated when props were added, lighting changed, or customer feedback revealed unexpected hazards
Real Scenario
"You add a crawl-through tunnel to an existing room. A customer with claustrophobia becomes stuck and panics. Your risk assessment has no mention of the tunnel, confined space hazards, or claustrophobia protocols - it still describes the original room layout."
Example 2: Horror and scare-themed rooms have no specific risk assessment for psychological effects, despite deliberately creating stress and fear responses
Real Scenario
"A customer in a horror room becomes genuinely distressed and hyperventilates. They claim they weren't warned about the content. Your risk assessment covers physical hazards but says nothing about psychological effects, scare intensity, or vulnerable customer identification."
Accident & Incident Records
Escape rooms see minor incidents frequently that need quick documentation, plus need to track issues by specific room and prop to identify problem elements
The Problems
Why This Matters for Escape Rooms
- Customer injuries from props, slips, and bumps are mentioned to the manager but not formally documented, with 'it wasn't serious' being the standard response
When customers claim weeks later, you have no record of what happened, what first aid was given, or whether they signed anything
- Near-misses and prop malfunctions aren't recorded, so patterns with specific room elements aren't identified until injuries occur
The same hazard causes multiple incidents before being fixed, and investigation reveals a known problem that was never documented
The Solution
How Accident & Incident Records Helps
Mobile incident reporting with room and prop tracking, near-miss logging, pattern analysis across rooms, and automatic escalation for repeat issues
Every incident is documented immediately, prop-specific patterns are identified, and recurring hazards trigger alerts before serious injuries occur
Use Cases:
- • Customer injury documentation with prop identification
- • Near-miss and hazard reporting by room and element
- • Panic and distress incident documentation
- • Prop malfunction and damage logging
- • Pattern analysis by room, prop, and incident type
- • RIDDOR determination for serious incidents
- • Insurance claim evidence preparation
Feature Screenshot
Accident & Incident Records
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Customer injuries from props, slips, and bumps are mentioned to the manager but not formally documented, with 'it wasn't serious' being the standard response
Real Scenario
"A customer emails a month after their visit claiming they injured their shoulder on a prop. You vaguely remember 'something happened' but there's no incident record, no first aid documentation, and no record of what the customer said at the time."
Example 2: Near-misses and prop malfunctions aren't recorded, so patterns with specific room elements aren't identified until injuries occur
Real Scenario
"A drawer mechanism pinches customers' fingers regularly. Staff mention it verbally but nobody logs it. When a customer's finger is badly crushed, investigation reveals five previous finger-pinch incidents with the same drawer - none documented."
COSHH Assessments
Escape rooms use theatrical products like fog, scent, and special effects alongside cleaning chemicals - proper COSHH management ensures customer and staff safety
The Problems
Why This Matters for Escape Rooms
- Fog machines, scent diffusers, and cleaning chemicals are used without COSHH assessments, with 'atmospheric' products chosen for effect without considering safety
A customer with asthma or chemical sensitivity has a reaction to fog or scent products, and you have no COSHH assessment or warning procedure in place
- Cleaning and sanitisation products used between sessions have no assessments, with staff using whatever's available without understanding dilution or ventilation requirements
Customers enter rooms that still have chemical residue or odour, or staff develop reactions from improper chemical handling
The Solution
How COSHH Assessments Helps
COSHH management for theatrical effects and cleaning products, ventilation time requirements, and customer warning integration for atmospheric effects
All products are assessed with proper handling procedures, atmospheric effects have customer warnings built into briefings, and cleaning products have documented ventilation requirements
Use Cases:
- • Fog machine fluid COSHH assessments
- • Scent diffuser and atmospheric product assessments
- • Room cleaning and sanitisation chemical management
- • Prop cleaning product assessments
- • Ventilation time requirements post-cleaning
- • Customer warning integration for atmospheric effects
- • Staff training on theatrical product handling
Feature Screenshot
COSHH Assessments
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Fog machines, scent diffusers, and cleaning chemicals are used without COSHH assessments, with 'atmospheric' products chosen for effect without considering safety
Real Scenario
"A horror room uses theatrical fog for atmosphere. A customer with asthma has a severe reaction. Investigation reveals no COSHH assessment for the fog fluid, no warning in the briefing about atmospheric effects, and no record of considering vulnerable customers."
Example 2: Cleaning and sanitisation products used between sessions have no assessments, with staff using whatever's available without understanding dilution or ventilation requirements
Real Scenario
"Staff use a strong disinfectant to clean between sessions but don't ventilate properly. The next customers complain of headaches and eye irritation. You have no COSHH assessment showing correct ventilation time after cleaning."
HR Management
Small escape room teams need clear tracking of who can run which rooms, alongside standard first aid and fire safety certifications - with visibility for owner-operators
The Problems
Why This Matters for Escape Rooms
- With small teams, room qualifications are tracked informally - 'everyone knows who can run which room' - but when staff leave or new people start, knowledge gaps appear
Game masters are assigned to rooms they don't know properly, creating safety gaps and poor customer experience
- First aid and fire warden certifications are tracked on paper or not at all, with expired certificates going unnoticed
When incidents occur, you discover your only first aider's certificate expired months ago, or fire warden coverage isn't what you thought
The Solution
How HR Management Helps
Room qualification tracking per game master, certification management with automatic expiry alerts, and skills matrix for scheduling
Room qualifications are instantly visible for scheduling, certifications are current with automatic alerts, and coverage gaps are identified before they cause problems
Use Cases:
- • Room-by-room game master qualification tracking
- • First aid certification management
- • Fire warden certification tracking
- • Cross-training progress visibility
- • Emergency contact quick access
- • New room training sign-off
- • Skills matrix for flexible scheduling
Feature Screenshot
HR Management
Real-World Examples
Example 1: With small teams, room qualifications are tracked informally - 'everyone knows who can run which room' - but when staff leave or new people start, knowledge gaps appear
Real Scenario
"Your experienced game master leaves. You assume the remaining staff can cover all rooms - but discover on a busy Saturday that nobody is actually trained for Room 3. You have to close the room, losing bookings and disappointing customers."
Example 2: First aid and fire warden certifications are tracked on paper or not at all, with expired certificates going unnoticed
Real Scenario
"A customer has a medical emergency. Your 'first aider' helps but later checks reveal their certificate expired 8 months ago. The customer's family questions whether proper first aid was given and considers legal action."
Time Clock & Attendance
Small escape room teams need lightweight attendance tracking that confirms who is on site without adding administrative burden to owner-operators
The Problems
Why This Matters for Escape Rooms
- Small teams don't formally track working hours, with staff often working longer than scheduled during busy periods without accurate records
Working Time Regulations breaches go unnoticed, and there's no accurate record of who was actually on site if incidents occur
- Solo operators run multiple sessions back-to-back without breaks, leading to fatigue that affects safety monitoring and customer service
Fatigued staff miss safety issues, provide poor briefings, or make errors during emergency situations
The Solution
How Time Clock & Attendance Helps
Simple clock in/out for small teams, break tracking, and real-time visibility of who is on site and working
Accurate attendance records for incident investigation, Working Time compliance, and visibility of staffing during busy periods
Use Cases:
- • Clock in/out for shift tracking
- • Break compliance monitoring
- • Attendance records for incident investigation
- • Accurate timesheet generation for payroll
- • Working Time Regulations compliance
- • Real-time visibility of on-site staff
- • Overtime tracking during peak periods
Feature Screenshot
Time Clock & Attendance
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Small teams don't formally track working hours, with staff often working longer than scheduled during busy periods without accurate records
Real Scenario
"An incident occurs at 9pm on a Saturday. You need to verify who was working, but there are no clock-in records. Staff worked different hours than scheduled, and reconstructing who was actually present relies on memory."
Example 2: Solo operators run multiple sessions back-to-back without breaks, leading to fatigue that affects safety monitoring and customer service
Real Scenario
"A game master runs 6 sessions straight without a break. During the last session, they miss signs of customer distress on the monitor because they're exhausted. The customer has a panic attack that escalates unnecessarily."
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