Geocaching Risk Assessment Template

Typical hazards & measures

• 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.
• Battery failure and power management — Fully charge devices, carry a shared power bank and paper maps, download offline maps and hints, nominate at least two adults with navigation devices, and continue on a pre-agreed fallback route if one device fails or power falls below a safe threshold.
• Water hazards (rivers, canals, ponds, tides) — Keep groups well back from edges, prohibit pupil wading and lone retrieval, station an adult within arm’s reach at narrow banks and bridges, carry a throw line where appropriate, consult tides or river levels, and move to an alternative cache if water risk is elevated.
• 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.
• 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.