General Provisions for Packing Dangerous Goods

In general, the Code specifies that dangerous goods will be packed in good quality packaging, strong enough to withstand the inevitable wear and tear of all shore-side handling and transshipment, including the removal from a pallet or overpack. Regardless of whether the packagings are new, reused, reconditioned, or remanufactured, all packagings must be constructed and closed in accordance with manufacturer's instructions to prevent any loss of contents under normal transport conditions or as a result of vibration or changes in temperature, humidity, or air pressure. The outside of packagings must not have any residue of the dangerous good. Packages for liquids, including tanks, IBCs, and other large packagings, need to be under-filled to allow for the expansion of the contents caused by temperature changes during transport. This under-filling is referred to as ullage. These general provisions apply to all packagings, including IBCs and large packagings. More specific provisions for packagings are given in Section 4.1.1.

In 4.1.2, several general provisions are stated regarding IBC. These focus primarily on rules for inspection, testing, and maintenance of the containers.

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