Testing standard
EN 795
Personal fall protection equipment — Anchor devices
Written and technically reviewed by Dak System Inc. engineeringLast reviewed
EN 795:2012 is the European standard for anchor devices — the removable assembly a personal fall protection system attaches to. It defines five types, A to E, and tests each by physical trial rather than calculation: deformation, dynamic strength and integrity and static strength for types A to D, and deformation, dynamic performance, post-arrest suspension and static strength for type E. Anchor devices serving more than one user at a time are outside its scope and fall under CEN/TS 16415.
At a glance
- Test type
- Tensile — the specimen is pulled apart
- Published by
- EN
- Edition
- EN 795:2012
- Runs on
- Series 7200 and Series 9000
What the test does
EN 795 specifies performance requirements and test methods for anchor devices — the assembly a personal fall protection system attaches to, removable from the structure rather than part of it.
Acceptance is by physical test, not calculation. Types A to D are tested for deformation, dynamic strength and integrity, and static strength. Type E has its own set: deformation, dynamic performance, post-arrest suspension and static strength. Corrosion resistance applies to all.
The scope narrowed in 2012: devices allowing more than one user attached at any one time are outside EN 795 and covered by the technical specification CEN/TS 16415 instead.
What it measures, and why it matters
The 2012 edition replaced the old classes with five types, to make the differences between devices clearer.
Type A has stationary anchor points and needs a structural anchor or fixing element to attach it. Type B also has stationary anchor points but needs no such fixing. Type C employs a flexible anchor line and Type D a rigid one, each deviating from the horizontal by not more than 15 degrees, measured between extremity and intermediate anchors at any point. Type E relies solely on its own mass and friction against the surface, and may be used on surfaces up to 5 degrees from horizontal. Those two angles are the only ones in the standard, and both describe how a device is installed, not how load is applied during a test.
Static strength is set by material rather than by type. Published guidance gives 12 kN where load-bearing parts are metallic and 18 kN where non-metallic parts are used, held at least three minutes. No source examined gives a per-type table and none appears to exist.
The sample and how it is mounted
The device is tested installed as it is intended to be installed, because the fixing is part of what is under test.
- Sample
- The anchor device complete with its intended fixingA type A device is tested with its structural anchor or fixing element in place.
- Type E mounting
- On a surface within 5° of the horizontalMass and friction against that surface are the entire mechanism, so the surface is part of the test.
- Test lanyard
- Rope conforming to EN 892PracticeReported by heightec. EN 892 — dynamic mountaineering rope — is a normative reference of EN 795, and the standard carries a figure for the test lanyard and one for a bowline knot, which corroborates it.
- Test mass
- 100 kg rigidPracticeSet to generate 9 kN at the point of arrest. From heightec, not from the standard's own text.
- Free fall distance
- Derived, not fixedThe clause is titled "Test lanyard and determination of free fall distance". No figure is published here because none was confirmed.
- Number of users
- Mark for one user onlyPracticeReported by heightec, and consistent with the standard excluding multi-user devices from its scope.
- Directions tested
- Every intended direction of usePracticeReported by SATRA. No angular tolerance is stated by any source examined, and none is given here.
Forces and hold times
EN 795 sets no ramp rate. It sets forces, hold times and drops. The figures below sit in paywalled clauses and are attributed to the published guidance they came from.
- Static strength, metallic load-bearing parts
- 12 kNPracticeHeld at least 3 minutes, in the direction of loading. From published testing guidance, corroborated across three independent sources.
- Static strength, non-metallic load-bearing parts
- 18 kNPracticeThe higher figure applies wherever non-metallic parts carry load.
- Per-type static values
- None foundPracticeNo source examined gives a static strength table by type, and none appears to exist. The split is by material.
- Dynamic arrest force
- 9 kN at the point of arrestPracticeGenerated by the 100 kg rigid mass on the EN 892 test lanyard.
- Post-arrest suspension
- Type E onlyA test unique to type E, checking that a device relying on mass and friction does not creep after it has arrested a fall.
- Corrosion resistance
- Required for all types
How type approval runs
- 01Establish the type — A, B, C, D or E — from how the device is fixed and how its anchor line sits.
- 02Mount the device on a rigid test structure using its own intended structural anchor or fixing element.
- 03For a type E device, lay it on a surface within 5° of the horizontal.
- 04Run the deformation test.
- 05For types A to D, run the dynamic strength and integrity test using an EN 892 test lanyard and a 100 kg rigid mass, with the free fall distance determined as the standard directs.
- 06Repeat the drop fixed as intended, in every intended direction of use, for the number of users claimed.
- 07For type E, run the dynamic performance test and then the post-arrest suspension test.
- 08Apply the static strength force and hold it in the direction of loading.
- 09Run the corrosion resistance test.
- 10Mark the device for one user only.
Do not carry a multi-user test protocol into EN 795. A published description of a 200 kg mass generating 12 kN followed by a further 100 kg mass is CEN/TS 16415 multi-user testing. EN 795 excludes devices allowing more than one user attached at any one time.
What the report has to carry
- Reference to EN 795:2012
- The type claimed — A, B, C, D or E — and the basis for it
- For types C and D, the measured deviation of the anchor line from the horizontal
- For type E, the slope of the surface tested on
- Description of the structural anchor or fixing element used
- Deformation result
- Dynamic test results, with the test lanyard, test mass and the free fall distance used
- Every direction of use tested
- Static strength force applied and the hold time
- Post-arrest suspension result for type E
- Corrosion resistance result
- The number of users the device is marked for
What the machine must be capable of
Two quite different rigs are needed and only one is a testing machine.
The static test needs a frame able to apply and hold 12 kN, or 18 kN where non-metallic load-bearing parts are involved, for at least three minutes, in the direction the device is intended to be loaded. A 50 kN frame covers it with margin.
The dynamic tests are drops, needing a rigid test structure, the EN 892 test lanyard, a 100 kg rigid mass and headroom for the derived free fall. Devices are dropped fixed as intended and in every intended direction of use, for the number of users claimed. Type E additionally faces a post-arrest suspension test, unique to that type, checking that a device held by mass and friction does not creep after arresting a fall.
What goes wrong in practice
The commonest error is a rule that does not exist. EN 795 is frequently said to require load to be applied within plus or minus 15 degrees of some reference direction. No such tolerance was found in any source examined. The 15 degree figure in EN 795 is real, and it appears twice, but it is the maximum deviation of a type C or type D anchor line from the horizontal — a geometry limit that decides whether a device is a type C or D at all. What the published guidance actually says about direction is that devices are tested in every intended direction of use, plural, determined by the product rather than by an angle in the standard.
The second is confusing single-user and multi-user testing. At least one published description presents a 200 kg mass generating 12 kN, followed by a further 100 kg mass, as EN 795 practice. That describes multi-user testing under CEN/TS 16415. EN 795 excludes multi-user devices, and anchor devices to it should be marked for one user only.
The third is assuming the old class letters map cleanly onto the new type letters. The 2012 edition lists its significant technical changes in an annex precisely because they do not.
The five types
Clauses 3.2.1 to 3.2.5 of EN 795:2012, in the standard's own terms. The 2012 edition introduced these to replace the earlier class letters.
| Type | What it is | Defining condition |
|---|---|---|
| A | One or more stationary anchor points | Needs a structural anchor or fixing element to fix it to the structure |
| B | One or more stationary anchor points | Needs no structural anchor or fixing element |
| C | Flexible anchor line | Line deviates from the horizontal by not more than 15° |
| D | Rigid anchor line | Line deviates from the horizontal by not more than 15° |
| E | Relies solely on mass and friction against the surface | Surface up to 5° from the horizontal |
These are the only two angles in EN 795 and both are about how the device sits, not how load is applied. Anchor points on a type A device may rotate or swivel in use where they are designed to do so. The old class letters do not map cleanly onto these types — the 2012 edition devotes an annex to the significant technical changes for exactly that reason.
What each type is tested for
From the standard's own clause structure. Type E has a different test set from the rest.
| Test | Types A to D | Type E |
|---|---|---|
| Deformation | Yes | Yes |
| Dynamic strength and integrity | Yes | — |
| Dynamic performance | — | Yes |
| Post-arrest suspension | — | Yes |
| Static strength | Yes | Yes |
| Corrosion resistance | Yes | Yes |
Post-arrest suspension exists only for type E, and it is the test that makes sense of that type: a device held in place by its own weight and friction must be shown not to creep once it has already taken a fall.
Questions we are asked about this test
What is EN 795?
It is the European standard specifying performance requirements and test methods for anchor devices used in personal fall protection — the removable assembly that a fall protection system is attached to, as distinct from the structure itself. The current edition is EN 795:2012, which supersedes EN 795:1996 and its 2001 amendment.
Does EN 795 have a plus or minus 15 degree rule for load direction?
No. No angular tolerance on load direction was found in any source examined, and the claim appears to be a misreading. The 15 degree figure in EN 795 is real and appears twice, but it is the maximum deviation of a type C or type D anchor line from the horizontal, measured between the extremity and intermediate anchors at any point along its length. It is a geometry limit that decides whether a device qualifies as type C or D at all. What published guidance says about direction is that devices are tested in every intended direction of use, determined by the product.
What are the EN 795 types?
Five. Type A has stationary anchor points and needs a structural anchor or fixing element to attach it. Type B has stationary anchor points and needs no such fixing. Type C uses a flexible anchor line and type D a rigid one, each within 15 degrees of the horizontal. Type E relies solely on its own mass and friction against the surface and may be used on surfaces up to 5 degrees from horizontal.
What happened to the old class A, B, C letters?
The 2012 edition replaced classes of anchor device with types, to identify more clearly the differences between devices. They do not map one to one, which is why EN 795:2012 carries an annex listing the significant technical changes against EN 795:1996 and its amendment. Do not assume an old class B device is a new type B device without checking.
What static force must an EN 795 anchor withstand?
Published testing guidance gives 12 kN where the load-bearing parts are metallic and 18 kN where non-metallic load-bearing parts are used, held for at least three minutes in the direction of loading. Those values sit in a paywalled clause, so they are reported here from that guidance rather than from the standard's own text. No source examined gives a static strength table by type — the split is by material.
How is the dynamic test done?
It is a drop, not a pull. Published guidance describes a test lanyard made from rope conforming to EN 892, the dynamic mountaineering rope standard, with a 100 kg rigid test mass set to generate 9 kN at the point of arrest. EN 892 is a normative reference of EN 795 and the standard carries figures for the test lanyard and for a bowline knot, which corroborates that description. The free fall distance is derived by the standard rather than fixed at one value, so no figure is given here.
Can EN 795 cover an anchor for two people?
No. EN 795:2012 states in its introduction that requirements and test methods for multi-user anchor devices, meaning those allowing more than one user attached at any one time, are not included. Those are covered by the technical specification CEN/TS 16415. Anchor devices to EN 795 should be marked for one user only. A test description involving a 200 kg mass and a subsequent 100 kg mass is multi-user work, not EN 795.
What equipment do I need to test to EN 795?
Two quite different rigs, and only one is a testing machine. The static strength test needs a frame able to apply and hold 12 or 18 kN for at least three minutes in the intended direction of loading, so 50 kN gives sensible margin. Every dynamic test is a drop and needs a rigid test structure, an EN 892 test lanyard, a 100 kg rigid mass and enough headroom for the derived free fall. A tensile frame alone cannot complete EN 795.
Is EN 795 the same as EN 516 or EN 517?
No. EN 516 covers installations for roof access and EN 517 prefabricated roof safety hooks. Those are building products with their own regime, while EN 795 anchor devices are treated as personal protective equipment. They are not interchangeable, and a roof hook certified to EN 517 is not thereby an EN 795 anchor device.
Related and equivalent standards
CEN/TS 16415 covers anchor devices for more than one user, which EN 795 excludes. EN 892 supplies the dynamic rope the test lanyard is made from. EN 363 defines the systems an anchor device serves, EN 354 the lanyard, EN 355 the energy absorber, EN 362 the connectors. EN 516 and EN 517 cover roof access installations and prefabricated roof safety hooks, which are building products rather than personal protective equipment and not interchangeable with EN 795 anchor devices.
Running EN 795 on the Series 7200 and Series 9000
Dak verifies against whichever standard the method names, and where a class applies our frames sit a class tighter than it asks.
| The method asks for | Dak supplies | |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 12 kN where the load-bearing parts are metallic and 18 kN where non-metallic load-bearing parts are used, so a 50 kN frame covers the static work with margin. These figures come from published testing guidance rather than from the paywalled clause. | Load cells from 1 kg to 60 ton on the Series 7200, and 0.5 to 100 kN on the Series 9000 |
| Force accuracy | unknown — clause 5 is paywalled and no class was confirmed | ISO 7500-1 Class 0.5 — the method sets no class of its own |
| Gripping | The device is tested installed as intended, so the fixture is its own structural anchor or fixing element on a rigid test structure. Dynamic tests need a test lanyard of EN 892 rope and a 100 kg rigid mass rather than anything a tensile frame provides. | Wedge, vice-action, pneumatic and hydraulic grips, built to the specimen |
| Environment | none confirmed — the conditioning clauses were not retrieved and no figure is given | 3009 series chambers, −150 °C to +400 °C — temperature only |
This page describes the method as practised. The governing text is the current edition from the issuing body. Tell us what you are testing and we will answer with the machine, the fixture and a quotation.