Walking Risk Assessment Template

Typical hazards & measures

• Car parks and driveways — Route around active forecourts where possible, slow the pace and bunch the group, keep to marked walkways, post an adult to watch reversing lights, and only cross aisles when all vehicles have stopped and eye contact is made with any waiting drivers.
• Noise and sensory overload — Avoid confined noisy underpasses during peaks, brief pupils to regroup quickly after loud events like sirens, provide quieter rest points, and allow opt-outs or headphones for identified sensory needs while maintaining line-of-sight supervision.
• Uneven surfaces and kerbs — Reduce pace on cobbles, gravel, mud and raised slabs, step down kerbs squarely, avoid cluttered pavements, and reposition to the inside edge on narrow sections while an adult scouts hazards ahead and signals any short detour or single-file passage.
• Roadside walking and traffic proximity — Keep groups on the pavement side furthest from the carriageway, walk in pairs with adults at front, middle and rear, shrink to single file at narrow sections, stop at blind bends to regroup, and avoid verges where there is no defined footway or safe refuge.
• On-street tram rails and embedded tracks — Where routes cross tracks, brief to cross only at marked points, approach at right angles, slow and step cleanly over rails (especially when wet), and pause groups if multiple tracks, poor sightlines or simultaneous traffic create conflicting movements.