Taipei City Construction Management Office

Taipei City Construction Management Office Press ReleaseReleased by: Taipei City Construction Management OfficeReleased Date: January 27, 2015Contact Liaison: User Permit Section Chief, Hong De-haoTelephone: 1999 ext.8386 or 0952-826-105Year-End Public Safety United Inspection to Ensure Safe Chinese New YearWith Lunar New Year holidays fast approaching, all major department stores and shops are expected to have large crowds of customers flooded in stocking up their new-year purchases. To ensure consumer safety and protection of the public, starting from January 27, 2015, Taipei City Government will enforce dynamic public safety inspections without any prior notice made to large department stores. If irregularities were found, department stores will face severe punishment of 120,000 yuan fine, in order to maintain public safety for general consumers during the Spring Holidays.Department of Urban Development Commissioner Lin, Zhou-min said that at the year-end, department stores usually attract large crowds, so there is a need to tighten the security measure and increase the frequencies of safety inspections - with focuses on sale floors or similar public spaces as such. On the first day of inspection, a press conference will be held to randomly select four stores to begin with. Two mobilized inspection teams will then set out and continue to check throughout the others without prior warnings. Lin stressed that the point of this inspection is not punishment, but rather to find out areas of potential hazards and to raise store owners’ awareness and self-management on public safety, especially maintaining unobstructed areas for safety exit ladders, walkways, escape path and such. There shall be no illegal stands or piled debris near the automatic fire roll-up doors, smoke room and designated areas for storage in accordance with the regulation to ensure public safety for the consumers. If any illegal conduct is found, the public is encouraged to file reports to Taipei City Construction Management Office at 1999 (outside of Taipei county, please call 02-27208889) extension 8387. For such reports, there will be severe punishment in accordance to Building Act and regulations to proactively safeguard public safety for our general consumers.