Geocaching Risk Assessment

Typical hazards & measures

• Cache contents and contamination — Open containers only under adult oversight, avoid plunging hands into opaque boxes, tip items onto a clean surface for inspection, prohibit food, medicines, matches or sharps, and wash or sanitise hands after handling damp, mouldy or soil-contaminated contents.
• Steep slopes and edges — Establish stand-off distances at cliffs, quarries and steep banks, prohibit leaning or scrambling, place adults at chokepoints, approach from the safest contour where possible, and abandon or relocate caches if proximity to an exposed edge cannot be controlled on the day.
• Low light and visibility — Prefer daylight timings, equip leaders with torches if dusk is possible, add high-visibility vests for any road interface, forbid night caching with pupils, and cancel or reroute if fog, glare or failing light drop visibility below a safe standard for group travel.
• Hazardous plants and thorns — Identify nettles, brambles and irritant saps on the pre-walk, require long sleeves or gloves for dense vegetation, cut approach paths only under adult control, forbid sap contact with eyes or skin, and wash exposed areas promptly with incident details recorded.
• Inclusion and additional needs — Prepare individual plans with pupils and families, adjust terrain grading, distance and pace, provide visual schedules and rest points, assign buddies, and offer accessible alternatives for caches that are not safely reachable by all participants.