Steel structures are full of holes: bolt holes, service penetrations, drainage openings, holes left by removed fixings. A toggle anchor turns any of them into a certified anchor point. Push it through, press the button to select "lock", and the toggle rotates behind the plate so it cannot come back through. Press again for "open" and it withdraws. Installation takes seconds and leaves nothing behind.
Key Features
- Uses existing holes: Anything from 21 mm to 30 mm. No drilling required if a suitable hole exists, which on structural steel it usually does.
- Pressure button open/lock: A single control selects whether the toggle is deployed or retracted. Unambiguous and quick.
- Removable and reusable: Comes out at the end of the task, leaving the structure as it was found.
- Resistance 12 kN, MBS 23 kN: The full 23 kN of the better anchors in the range, unlike the concrete anchor's 15 kN.
- Two lengths: 4 cm for thin plate and 34 cm for reaching through deep sections or from an awkward position.
- Type B classification: Transportable temporary anchor, not a permanent installation.
Technical Specifications
| Product Code |
Length |
Size |
Hole Required |
Resistance |
MBS |
| FA 60 019 00 |
4 cm |
22 mm |
21 – 30 mm |
12 kN |
23 kN |
| FA 60 019 01 |
34 cm |
22 mm |
21 – 30 mm |
12 kN |
23 kN |
Both for horizontal steel surfaces. The supplier descriptions quote 200 mm and 500 mm rather than 4 cm and 34 cm; confirm the length required before ordering.
BS EN 795 Type B | 12 kN Resistance | 23 kN MBS | Category III PPE
Conforms to BS EN 795 Type B for transportable temporary anchor devices. Category III personal protective equipment under Regulation (EU) 2016/425, supplied with a Declaration of Conformity and covered by EU Type-Examination certificate 2777/10795-02 E01-01. Requires inspection by a competent person at intervals not exceeding 12 months and immediate withdrawal after arresting a fall.
Suitable Applications
Toggle anchors suit steel structures with existing openings: steel erection and maintenance, plant and process steelwork, bridges and gantries, shipbuilding and marine structures, and roof work on steel decking. They are especially useful where drilling is not permitted or practical, since they use holes that are already there. The 34 cm version reaches through deep sections or lets the operator install from a position where the 4 cm could not be reached. Both are for horizontal steel surfaces, where the toggle bears flat against the underside.
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 Toggle Anchor
- Assess the steel: The plate must be capable of withstanding fall arrest forces, and the toggle must have sound material to bear against on the far side. Thin, corroded or perforated plate may not do.
- Check the hole size: 21 mm to 30 mm. Larger and the toggle may pull through; smaller and it will not pass.
- Insert fully and select lock: Push through, press the button to lock, then confirm by pulling back against it.
- Check the toggle has deployed: Where you can see the far side, look. Where you cannot, the resistance to withdrawal is your confirmation.
- Horizontal surfaces only: The anchor is rated for horizontal steel. Vertical or inclined installation is outside its certification.
- Withdraw and inspect after use: Select open, remove, and check the mechanism before the next installation.
Warning: Confirm the toggle has deployed and locked before applying any load. For horizontal steel surfaces only. The steel must be capable of withstanding fall arrest forces, and the far side must offer sound bearing material.
Safety Information
- For use only by trained and competent persons within a safe system of work.
- Horizontal steel surfaces only.
- Hole size must be between 21 mm and 30 mm.
- The steel must be capable of withstanding fall arrest forces.
- Confirm the toggle has deployed and locked before loading.
- One person only.
- Withdraw immediately after arresting a fall.
- Inspect the toggle mechanism before every installation.
- Inspection by a competent person required at intervals not exceeding 12 months.
Inspection and Maintenance
The toggle mechanism is the product. Before every installation, operate the button through both positions and confirm the toggle swings fully open and retracts fully closed. A toggle that does not deploy completely bears on less material than the rating assumes. Check the pivot for wear and free movement, and look for distortion of the toggle itself, which would indicate it has been loaded while only partly deployed. Keep the mechanism clean and lightly oiled, and inspect the anchorage eye for elongation.
Downloads
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: 4cm or 34cm?
The 4 cm suits thin plate where the toggle needs only to clear the far side. The 34 cm reaches through deep sections, box structures or built-up assemblies, and also lets you install from a position where you could not reach the short one into place. If the steel is a simple plate, the short version is easier to handle.
Q: Can I use it on a vertical surface?
No. Both are certified for horizontal steel surfaces, where the toggle bears flat against the underside. Vertical or inclined installation changes how the toggle sits and is outside the certification.
Q: What if I cannot see the far side?
Often you cannot, which is why the resistance to withdrawal is your check: with the toggle locked it should not pull back through. If it does, or if it feels uncertain, do not use it. Also satisfy yourself there is sound material for the toggle to bear against, since a hole in corroded or thin plate may not offer it.
Q: Does it damage the structure?
No, which is much of its appeal. It uses an existing hole, bears against the plate and comes out again leaving nothing behind. On listed structures, client premises or anywhere drilling is not permitted, that matters.
