What does this sign mean?
A warning (yellow) sign for a surface hot enough to burn on contact, and often still hot long after the appliance has been switched off. ISO 7010 W017 shows heat rising from a flat surface: it warns about contact heat, not open flame.
Where does it go and when is it required?
Goes on restaurant ovens, grills and griddles, on café espresso machines and steam wands, on water heaters and boilers, and on uninsulated pipework and plant-room doors. It matters most in food-business kitchens and in maintenance areas that non-operating staff can walk into.
Regulation notes: Civil Defense inspectors in Saudi Arabia and the UAE review warning signage in commercial kitchens and plant rooms as part of restaurant and café licensing and renewal, and open kitchens visible to customers get particular attention. In the UAE, OSHAD Code of Practice 17.0 requires Arabic to appear above English on safety signs.
- Fix it to the appliance itself beside the hot part, not the wall behind it, on the face someone standing at it will actually see.
- A5 or A4 is enough on appliances; use A3 on boiler and plant-room doors.
- Print on heat-resistant, steam-cleanable stock; ordinary paper labels peel away within weeks in a commercial kitchen.
This sign is also known as: hot surface sign, hot surface warning sign printable pdf, ISO 7010 W017 sign, caution hot surface sign Arabic English. Shape and colours follow ISO 7010 / ISO 3864-1, reference W017.
