Geocaching Risk Assessment Template

Typical hazards & measures

• 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.
• Weather and lightning — Check forecast and heat index at planning and again before departure, carry layers and waterproofs, shorten or reschedule under high winds, shelter for storms using a pre-briefed plan, and suspend activity at once if lightning is seen or thunder is heard nearby.
• Heritage structures and fragile walls — Forbid dismantling cairns, dry-stone walls or historic features to retrieve caches, have a leader inspect any hide in such settings first, apply “look with eyes, not hands” around mortar joints, and substitute a new task where retrieval would risk structural damage.
• Vehicle interfaces at trailheads — Marshal coach bays and car parks at starts and finishes, cone pedestrian lanes, keep pupils within a muster area until called, enforce low vehicle speeds, avoid narrow lane pick-ups, and move to wider locations when sightlines or surface conditions are poor.