More than half of the 11 entertainment venues inspected by New Taipei City’s consumer ombudsmen had failed safety checks, but have since made improvements, the city government said on Thursday.
Personnel from the public works and fire departments, accompanied by the ombudsmen, inspected movie theaters and karaoke establishments, also known as KTVs, in the municipality, Department of Legal Affairs head Huang Yi-teng (黃怡騰) said.
The checks focused on fire and building safety measures and facilities for disabled patrons, Huang said.
The inspections covered six movie theaters — Banciao District’s (板橋) Vie Show Cinemas and Showtime Cinemas; Sanchong District’s (三重) T-Movies Cinema; Sinjhuang District’s (新莊) Filmmate Cinema; and Linkou District’s (林口) Ambassador Theatres and Vie Show Cinemas, Huang said.
Five KTVs were selected — Banciao’s New CB Party and Cashbox Partyworld, and Holiday KTV branches in Tucheng (土城), Jhonghe (中和) and Yonghe (永和) districts, he added.
Of the 11 establishments, six failed safety checks for a range of reasons, including problems with smoke ventilation switches, corridors being used to stack items, safety doors that did not close properly or were locked, and KTV room emergency exits being inaccessible, he said.
The six establishments have since made improvements and passed another fire and building safety check, he said.
Consumers should also be aware of any signs forbidding patrons from taking food purchased outside into a movie theater and pay attention to film ratings to ensure that the film is suitable for younger viewers, Huang said.
KTV patrons should also be aware of the fees and charges at some establishments, as well as the location of emergency exits and safety notices to avoid consumer disputes and public safety hazards, he said.
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