Geocaching Risk Assessment Template

Typical hazards & measures

• Suspicious item or public concern — Treat any unknown container as suspect until identified, withdraw the group to a safe distance, verify the listing by a leader, avoid handling objects with wires or pressure, and be prepared to explain the activity politely to curious members of the public.
• Agricultural operations and pesticides — Avoid fields during active spraying or harvesting, read and respect posted notices, keep strictly to rights-of-way and headlands, close gates behind groups, clean footwear after livestock areas, and postpone caches in recently treated crops to prevent exposure and damage.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.