by GreatlandReviewer
I occasionally receive a “Reviewer Action Requested” log written to a cache page because a cacher feels that accessing the cache is “unsafe” and/or that accessing the cache may require trespassing.
Groundspeak’s Terms of Use state: “Presence of certain information within the Groundspeak services (e.g. the location of a geocache or Adventure) does not imply that accessing such location is safe or legal.” The Community Volunteer Reviewers do not review for safety and do their best to review for legal access based upon local knowledge of permits, no geocaching areas, etc. Known information about land permission is posted in the Wiki for Regional Geocaching Policies.
Stepping outside your front door can be dangerous (bears, moose, other humans, ice), and that is why Groundspeak makes clear to players that when they seek a cache, they are doing it at their own risk. The person looking for a cache is best able to assess their own capabilities and the risks of their own actions, e.g. the choice to go out and look for a cache despite their poor health, the way they choose to look for that cache (such as free climbing a cliff or tree), etc.
At the same time, the person placing a cache also bears responsibility for their cache and its placement, e.g., obtaining permission from the landowner, placing a cache in a location that could be dangerous (such as a mine shaft or avalanche chute), etc. For cache owners, if a player gets injured seeking their cache because it was placed without permission or in an unsafe location, even though Groundspeak’s Terms of Use tells players that they geocache at their own risk, it is entirely possible that a cache seeker could try to hold the cache owner responsible.
So, be thorough and thoughtful in your cache placements. It is all right to have cache seekers push their personal comfort limits, but be mindful when doing so.