If you have issues viewing or accessing this file, please contact us at NCJRS.gov. ,.. ROLE OF PACKING AND HANDLING IN CARGO SECURITY NCJR~ NOV B \918 PACKING GUIDELINES FOR SAFE, SECURE DELIVERY OF GOODS • :~ . • • Produced Under The Auspices Of The NATIONAL CARGO SECURITY PROGRAM City Campaign in NEW YORK CITY/NEWARK by U.S. DEPAR1'MENT OF TRANSPORTATION and THE AIRPORT SECURITY COUNCIL September 1978 FOREWORD Cargo loss; cargo damage; claims; surveys and their cost; wasteful handling and its cost; all these are financial drains, eroding the profit of the shipping public and transportation carriers. No shipper or carrier should hesitate to take action which would materially reduce avoidable waste of money, time and customer goodwill. The report that follows provides gen­ eral guidelines on basic packing and environmental factors of transportation necessary to protect cargo from loss and damage. William E. Morgan Director, Eastern Region Federal Aviation Administration New Y orkiN" ewark Coordinator of the X ational Cargo Security Program's City Campaign Edward J. McGowan Executive Director Airport Security Council I 1 I J j ~ CONTENTS Page P AOKING OONSIDERATIONS ________________________________ _ 1 Oarriers' Requirements _______________________________________ _ 1 Packing ____________________________________________________ _ 2 Know Your Product _________________________________________ _ 2 Method of Distribution ______________________________________ _ 2 Overseas Shiplnent __________________________________________ _ 2 'Talue of Product ___________________________________________ _ 2 }Dnergy ------------------------------------------------------ 2 Shape of Product ___________________________________________ _ 2 /1 ,Veight and Size ____________________________________________ _ 4 Strength and Fragility ______________________________________ _ 4 Types of Loads _____________________________________________ _ -t TRANSPORTATION HAZARDS _______________________________ _ f) Ocean ______________________________________________________ _ n Rail _________________ ._______________________________________ _ n Motor Oarrier _______________________________________________ _ n Air ________________________________________________________ _ n Handling ___________________________________________________ _ n Storage ------------------------------------------------------ 15 vV eathering _________________________________________________ _ !) SOLUTIONS ___________________________________________________ _ 6 Blocking and Bracing _______________________________________ _ 6 Cushioning _________________________________________________ _ 6 ,Vaterproofing ______________________________________________ _ 6 Olosure Systems ____________________________________________ _ Strapping __________________________________________________ _ 6 7 Oare in Stacking ____________________________________________ _ 7 VARIETIES OF PAOKING OR OO~TAIXERS ________________ _ !l Fiberboard Oontainers _______________________________________ _ I) Resistance to Oompres8ion _______________________________ _ 9 Score Lines (Cl'pased Edges) _____________________________ _ 10 Resistance to Punctu,re ___________________________________ _ 10 Resista.nce to ilfoistw'e ___________________________________ _ 10 Weight of Product to be Packed _________________________ _ 10 Load Btdge _____________________________________________ _ 11 Load Collapse __________________________________________ _ 11 Inadequ<lte Interior Packing ______________________________. 13 I mpl'oper Closul'e _______________________________________ _ 13 lndioatrn's of -Weakness __________________________________ _ 13 11 CONTENTS (continued) Page Bags and Sacks ______________________________________________ 13 Bales ________________________________________________________ 14 Cans, Pails and Drums ________________________________________ 15 Wood ]Boxes _________________________________________________ 15 Nailed Wood Boxes ___________________________________________ 17 Cleated Panel Boxes __________________________________________ 18 VVirebound Containers ________ ~_______________________________ 18 Crates-Open and Closed ____________________________________ .. 18 lTnit Loads __________________________________________________ 23 ~rJlFtI{IN(tS _____________________________________________________ 24 S~JlLIN(t ______________________________________________________ 24 CONCLlTSION __________________________________________________ 24- PlTBLICJlTIONS _______________________________________________ 25 SOCI~TI~S AND JlSSOCIJlTIONS _____________________________ 25 i I '~ 111 INTRODUCTION Sound paclting is a major element in any loss prevention program. Re­ ducing the potential for damage, loss and theft is the key to reducing costs in product distribution. By putting security planning out in front of product movements, you will profit by reduction in claims, lower levels of employee temptation to theft and higher efficiency, derived from these precautions. The purpose of this publication is to encourage recognition of the need for sound packing, in the interest of safety, security and theft prevention. iv ------------- -~~ PACKING CONSIDERATIONS PROPER PACKING IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF CARGO SECURITY Force is the genesis of most loss and damage to portation. This manual is intended to assist product and shipping container. A primary shippers and carriers by suggesting sound pack­ function of protective packing is to eliminate or ing guidelines and practices. inhibit the action of destructive force. Inade­ quate packing design can result in loss and dam­ Carriers' Requirements age. The ideal package provides proper safety Carriers have rules and regulations on packing and security, avoiding excesses which do no more and handling, which the shipper should be aware than increase cost. The shipper must know the of when preparing his goods for shipping. These needs of his product, to deliver it securely. rules and regulations are published in the tariffs Arriving at the desired level of protection of the carriers. Terms and conditions, some of necessitates intelligent evaluation of a product, which limit the liability of the carrier for loss in relationship to the various hazards of trans- and damage, appear in the contract of carriage, TYPE OF LOAD EASE OF ASSEMBLY AND CLOSURE ; ITEM CHARACTERISTICS WEIGHT AND CUBE INITIAL COST DESTINATION .1 LEVEL OF PROTECTION REQUIRED AVAILABILITY REUSABILITY Oontainer Selection Factors 1 such as the bill of lading. Shippers should also Value of Product be aware that most carrier packing regulations Price of product is a determining factor as to pertain to the exterior shipping container, not amount of funds available for packing. Ship­ the interior packaging. pers of readily available goods in common use are most seriously affected by the cost of packing. Packing since competitive pricing is intense. Value in Packing includes the exterior shipping con­ this context is set by appearance and quality of tainer, closure system, and, when necessary, product at point of sale. A penny unwisely blocking, bracing, cushioning, waterprooflllg, saved in packing may reduce product salability. strapping and container marking. The container alone cannot be blamed for all losses or damages. Energy Inadequate' blocking, bracing and cushioning, or The type of energy and forces encountered in none at all, may also be major causes of losses or transportation which cause most damage are me­ damage. Efficient use of available packing aids chanical and chelllical in nature. will improve the shipper's economic posture, Mechanical energy, arising from movement, through secure delivery of his product. exists in all modes of transportation. Abrupt Know Your Product starts and stops, vibrations and jolts of vehicles are potentially destructive forces. Handling By experience, inspection and common sense forces, those involved in loading and unloading, the shipper should know the more obvious haz­ are significant. .some may be applied accident­ ards against which the goods require protection. ally, some maliciously. In any event the affected For instance, breakage, which is of major concern package may be ripped open, exposing it to dam­ for fragile articles, requires only casual consid­ age, theft or los~. Adverse storage fo~'ces most eration in the case of soft goods. If the product commonly experIenced are those resultlllg from is an instrument, machinery, or a special device, the crushing effect of superimposed weights specifications of the component materials should through stacking. be obtained, in order to determine the extent of Chemical energy affecting shipments is chiefly protection needed. the result of contamination by foreign materials or weathering from external conditions, sueh as Method of Distribution humidity, rain, spray, extreme heat and cold. Method of product distribution should be con­ These tend to cause breakdown of the container sidered in determining the type of packing and deterioration of unprotected contents. Ex­ needed. Packing designed for point of sale fre­ posure resulting from packing failures can cause quently imposes criteria different from those goods to be susceptible to damage, theft or loss. I applicable for an item intended for additional ~fechanical forces in movement of product are treatment or multiple mOYements before point of counteracted by the use of rigid containers and sale. immobilization of the product through blocking, j bracing and cushioning. Chemical forces are Overseas