A round sling is a continuous loop of polyester in a woven sleeve, which makes it more flexible and easier to thread than flat webbing of the same strength. At 20 mm wide it passes through openings, around small sections and into places a 45 mm flat sling will not reach, while still offering 22 kN resistance and 30 kN minimum breaking strength. Dual certified to BS EN 795 Type B as an anchor device and BS EN 566 as a sling, and colour coded by length so the right one can be identified from a distance.
Key Features
- Colour coded by length: Blue 0.8 m, yellow 1.2 m, red 1.5 m. On a job with several lengths in the bag, that saves time and prevents the wrong sling being used.
- 20 mm round construction: Flexible and compact, threading through gaps and around small structural sections where flat webbing would be awkward.
- 22 kN resistance: Higher tested resistance than the 45 mm flat sling despite the narrower profile, with 30 kN minimum breaking strength.
- Dual certified: BS EN 795 Type B as a transportable anchor device and BS EN 566 as a sling, giving wider approved application.
- Polyester throughout: Good abrasion resistance, minimal stretch, unaffected by moisture.
- Three lengths: 0.8 m, 1.2 m and 1.5 m to suit different section sizes.
Technical Specifications
| Product Code |
Length |
Colour |
Webbing Width |
Resistance |
MBS |
Material |
| FA 60 005 08 |
0.8 m |
Blue |
20 mm |
22 kN |
30 kN |
Polyester |
| FA 60 005 12 |
1.2 m |
Yellow |
20 mm |
22 kN |
30 kN |
Polyester |
| FA 60 005 15 |
1.5 m |
Red |
20 mm |
22 kN |
30 kN |
Polyester |
All three share the same construction, resistance and certification. Only length and colour differ.
BS EN 795 Type B | BS EN 566 | Category III PPE | Regulation (EU) 2016/425
Dual certified to BS EN 795 Type B for transportable temporary anchor devices and BS EN 566 for slings. Category III personal protective equipment under Regulation (EU) 2016/425, supplied with a Declaration of Conformity and covered by EU Type-Examination certificate 2777/10789-01 E01-01. Requires inspection by a competent person at intervals not exceeding 12 months, and must be withdrawn immediately after arresting a fall.
Suitable Applications
The round sling suits anchor points that a flat sling cannot reach: threading through handrail uprights, around small diameter pipework and tube, through openings in steelwork, and around rope access and confined space structures. Its compactness makes it the sling most riggers and rope access technicians carry as standard, since a set of three lives easily in a harness pocket. Where the anchor is a large structural beam with sharp edges, the wider 45 mm FA 60 004 sling spreads load better and is the safer choice.
More About This Product
The anchorage is the part of a fall protection system people think about last and should think about first. Most sites can produce a harness and a lanyard within minutes; producing a certified, assessed anchor point is a different matter, and it is what genuinely determines whether the system works.
The forces involved are the reason. Arresting a fall is a dynamic event, and the load a falling person imposes on an anchor is many times their body weight — which is why BS EN 795 exists as a standard in its own right, and why the structure the anchor attaches to has to be assessed separately by someone competent to do it. The anchor may be certified; the beam, the tube, the roof purlin almost certainly is not.
Anchor Position, Fall Factor and Swing
Where the anchor sits changes the severity of a fall more than any other single decision.
Fall factor is the ratio of fall distance to the length of lanyard available to absorb it. An anchor above the head gives the lowest factor and the gentlest arrest. An anchor at foot level gives a factor 2 fall — the worst case, generating forces a shock absorber may struggle to control, and it is what happens when someone clips onto something convenient at their feet rather than something suitable above them.
Pendulum swing is the second consideration and the one that catches people out. An anchor directly overhead means a fall goes straight down. An anchor off to one side means the faller swings, and the swing can be more dangerous than the drop — into structure, into plant, or across a surface at speed. A swing that ends against a steel column is not survivable simply because the harness held.
The practical rule is to position the anchor as high as practicable and as close to directly overhead as the work allows, and to reassess it every time the work position moves.
How to Use the Round Sling
- Assess the structure first: The anchor must withstand fall arrest forces, which are far higher than a person's static weight.
- Choose the length for the section: The sling should wrap the member and leave enough to connect comfortably, without excessive slack that would increase fall distance.
- Anchor above the user where possible: Minimises both fall distance and pendulum swing.
- Connect with a certified karabiner: Connect through both eyes. Follow the manufacturer's instructions on whether choking is permitted.
- Protect against edges: The narrower profile concentrates load, so edge protection matters more, not less, than on wide webbing.
- Inspect before every use: Check the sleeve for cuts and abrasion, and squeeze along its length to feel for damage to the core beneath.
Warning: Category III PPE. For use by trained, competent persons only within a documented safe system of work. Withdraw immediately after arresting a fall. The protective sleeve can conceal damage to the load-bearing core, so inspect by feel as well as by eye.
Safety Information
- For use only by trained and competent persons within a safe system of work.
- The structure being wrapped must withstand fall arrest forces.
- Fit edge protection wherever the sling passes over a sharp edge.
- Inspect the sleeve by sight and the core by feel before every use.
- Anchor above the user wherever possible.
- Calculate required clearance below the anchor before use.
- Withdraw immediately after arresting a fall.
- Inspection by a competent person required at intervals not exceeding 12 months.
- Store away from direct sunlight, heat sources and chemicals.
Inspection and Maintenance
Round slings need inspecting differently from flat webbing, because the load-bearing core is hidden inside a protective sleeve. Damage to the core can exist with little sign on the outside. Run the sling through your hands along its whole length, feeling for soft spots, lumps, thinning or any irregularity in the core. Inspect the sleeve for cuts, abrasion and heat damage, and treat any cut through the sleeve as grounds for immediate withdrawal, since you cannot see what is beneath it. Check the label remains legible, as an unidentifiable sling cannot be certified. Clean with clean water only and dry naturally away from heat.
Downloads
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Which length do I need?
Enough to wrap the member and connect comfortably, with no more slack than necessary since slack adds to fall distance. As a rough guide, 0.8 m suits scaffold tube and small sections, 1.2 m handles most handrails and small beams, and 1.5 m covers larger structural sections. Many technicians carry all three.
Q: Why the colour coding?
Instant identification. Blue is 0.8 m, yellow 1.2 m, red 1.5 m. Reaching into a bag at height, colour is far quicker than reading a label, and it makes it obvious to a supervisor which sling has been used.
Q: Round sling or flat webbing sling?
Round for reach and flexibility, flat for load spreading. The 20 mm round threads through gaps and around small sections easily and packs down small. The 45 mm flat FA 60 004 spreads load over a wider area, which is better over structural steel edges. Different tools for different anchors.
Q: What does dual certification to EN 566 add?
BS EN 566 is the mountaineering standard for slings, alongside BS EN 795 Type B for anchor devices. The dual certification widens the approved applications, which matters particularly for rope access work where equipment is often used under both regimes.
