Many incidents in transport are attributed to poor practices in the packing of cargo transport units, including inadequate securing of the cargo, overloading and misdeclaration of contents. This is of major concern particularly because the victims may be the general public or transport and supply chain workers, who generally have no control over the packing of such units.

The IMO/ILO/UNECE Guidelines for Packing of Cargo Transport Units were published in 1997 and provided a set of practical measures for ensuring the safe packing of cargo in containers, road vehicles and railway wagons. They applied to transport operations by all surface and water modes and to the entire intermodal transport chain.

In 2011, the International Maritime Organization, the International Labour Organization and the Economic Commission for Europe set up a group of experts to revise the Guidelines so that they would reflect the latest information, best practices and requirements on this matter. The three organizations decided to upgrade the revised guidelines to a Code of Practice by including more details and technical contents.

The Group of Experts held three sessions in 2011 and 2012 and completed a final draft of the Code of Practice providing guidance, not only to those responsible for packing and securing cargo, but also to those who receive and unpack such units. The Code of Practice also addresses issues such as training and the packing of dangerous goods.