Kitchen Refurbishment Safety: Storing Flammables During Renovations

A Christchurch landlord called after a painter left a tin of solvent-based primer beside a gas water heater overnight.

Nothing ignited, but the setup was one spark away from a serious fire, and a difficult investigation.

If you don’t live at the rental, renovation work can make the site a workplace under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.

That puts real duties on you as a Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU), including how hazardous substances are stored and controlled.

Control flammables early by confirming what’s arriving on site, limiting quantities, separating them from ignition sources, and disposing of waste correctly.

Key Takeaways

Use these controls to reduce fire risk and meet your renovation duties without turning the job into paperwork theatre.

• You may be a PCBU during the job. If you don’t live at the property, you must consult, cooperate, and coordinate with each contractor, and you can’t contract those duties out.

• Renovation staples are flammable. Primers, thinners, contact adhesives, aerosols, and solvent cleaners must stay well clear of pilot lights, heaters, switchboards, and hot work.

• Indoor storage needs a proper cabinet. If flammables must be inside, use a compliant cabinet with spill containment and self-closing doors, not a household cupboard.

• Quantity triggers change the rules. Thresholds can require added controls, certification, or location compliance, even on small residential sites.

• Oily rags and waste are ignition sources. Solvent and oil rags can self-heat, and Christchurch disposal rules prohibit hazardous waste in kerbside bins.

What Counts As Flammable in a Kitchen Refurbishment

Flash point, the temperature at which a liquid gives off enough vapour to ignite, is the fastest way to judge real-world risk.

It’s the vapour above a liquid that ignites, not the liquid itself, so a small spill in a warm, enclosed kitchen can create an invisible hazard zone.

New Zealand uses the GHS (Globally Harmonized System) for hazardous substance classification, so current labels and Safety Data Sheets (SDS) show standard pictograms and hazard statements.

Flammable liquid categories are set by flash point and boiling point, ranging from Category 1 (highest fire risk) through Category 4 (lower risk, still controlled).

On a kitchen job, the usual suspects include methylated spirits, acetone, solvent-based primers, lacquer thinners, contact adhesives, and pressurised aerosols.

Aerosol cans need extra respect because pressure and heat can rupture the can, even without a direct flame.

Your Legal Role as a Landlord During Renovations

If you don’t live at the property, assume you have PCBU duties for the duration of renovation work until you confirm otherwise.

Where PCBUs overlap, the law requires you to consult, cooperate, and coordinate, and that duty can’t be signed away in a contract.

Practically, that means you need written agreement on who controls chemical storage, who holds the key, who removes waste daily, and who checks ignition sources before hot work.

A simple one-page “overlapping duties” table works well: list each contractor, nominate the storage controller, and set a daily sign-off for lock-up and waste removal.

If tenants remain in place, add controls for separation, ventilation, and access so they aren’t exposed to vapours, spills, or blocked exits.

Kitchen Refurbishment in Christchurch

A single lead contractor should run day-to-day site controls, but you still need clear agreement on who does what.

When you’re comparing quotes, ask the lead contractor to explain how they will consult with every trade, set a segregated chemical storage zone, manage hot-work permits, and complete an end-of-day lock-up during demolition, painting, and final fit-off, with one named person holding the key so solvents and aerosols aren’t left near heaters or switchboards; kitchen refurbishment Christchurch is a local option that can build those controls into the project scope.

If you engage a Christchurch builder to coordinate storage zones, hot-work checks, cabinet placement, and end-of-day lock-up, put those controls into the scope and prestart paperwork.

BEN Ltd is one example of a local provider that can incorporate hazardous-substance controls into the sequencing plan for kitchen refurbishment projects in Christchurch, from planning through completion.

Where Fires Start in Kitchen Refurbishments

Fires start when flammable vapours reach an ignition source, and renovations create more ignition points than most owners realise.

Typical homes place ignition sources in or near the work area, including gas water heaters in cupboards, cooktop connections, switchboards, and portable heaters used to speed drying.

Add renovation activities, and the risk multiplies: angle grinders throw sparks, heat guns and soldering irons run hot, and extension leads overload when several trades share one circuit.

Start by mapping ignition sources on a simple site plan, including pilot lights, temporary heaters, battery chargers, and any area where cutting or welding occurs.

Then set a practical “no-ignition” radius around them, typically three to five metres depending on ventilation and the product’s SDS guidance, and keep storage outside that zone.

Control hot work with a permit routine that requires three steps: remove or seal flammables, ventilate the area, and complete a fire watch after work stops.

Even if the contractor supplies the permit form, you should insist it includes a final check before everyone leaves for the night.

Storage Hierarchy: Offsite First, Then Onsite Only What You Need

The safest storage strategy is to keep flammables offsite and bring in only what the crew will use in the next two to three days.

Ask each trade for a task-based inventory, not a shopping list, then cap the on-site quantity to the smallest workable amount.

For example, if cabinetry installation only needs a small volume of contact adhesive, don’t accept a full carton of tins “just in case,” and return unopened stock immediately.

When storage must be on the property, follow this order: supplier storage or offsite store first, then an external locked store, then an indoor compliant cabinet, then point-of-use quantities only.

Outdoor storage still needs control: keep containers upright, out of direct sun, away from drains, and protected from vehicle impact and unauthorised access.

Indoors, treat cupboards with pilot lights, hot-water cylinders, and switchboards as no-go zones for any flammable liquid, aerosol, or solvent waste.

If your job approaches regulated thresholds, location and separation requirements under the Health and Safety at Work (Hazardous Substances) Regulations 2017 can apply, so confirm early with the contractor and, if needed, a compliance certifier.

Flammable Storage Cabinet

If flammables must be stored indoors, a purpose-built cabinet reduces spill spread and slows fire escalation compared with improvised storage.

If you must keep small quantities of adhesives, thinners, and primers inside during a short kitchen shutdown, choose a compliant safety cabinet with a liquid-tight 150 mm sump and self-closing doors, site it away from ignition sources with clear egress, and keep the fire load contained so spill control and lock-up stay simple; you can source one via cabinet for flammable materials.

For short kitchen shutdowns, a compliant cabinet is the right control for small quantities of thinners, primers, and adhesives that can’t be stored externally.

SpillBase offers a New Zealand range of flammable storage cabinets, and the key checks are consistent regardless of supplier: a liquid-tight sump (commonly 150 mm), double-walled steel construction with an insulating air gap, self-closing close-fitting doors with multi-point latching, and shelving that allows airflow.

Don’t drill extra ventilation holes, don’t store items in the sump, and position the cabinet away from switchboards and heaters with clear access for emergency exit.

Handling, Labelling, and SDS Discipline

Good storage fails fast if containers are unlabeled, decanted, or left open at the end of a shift.

Keep products in original containers with labels intact, caps tight, and an SDS pack available on site, with Section 7 used as the rulebook for storage conditions and incompatibilities.

Separate flammables from oxidisers and corrosives, don’t stack aerosols on solvent cartons, and restrict decanting to outdoor or well-ventilated areas with spill control.

Oily Rags, Dust, and Waste: The Silent Igniters

Rags wet with oils or solvents can self-heat and ignite hours later, even when the work area looks tidy.

Set a hard rule that rags go into water-filled containers or a metal, self-closing oily-waste can, and that they leave the building at the end of each shift.

Also treat fine dust as fuel: vacuum rather than sweep, keep dust bags out of chemical storage, and don’t store solvent waste beside general rubbish.

Quantity Triggers That Change Your Obligations

Threshold quantities can trigger added compliance steps, so confirm totals across all trades rather than looking at each product in isolation.

If you’re close to a trigger, reduce deliveries and move storage offsite rather than trying to “manage it harder” inside the dwelling.

Christchurch Disposal: What You Cannot Put in Kerbside Bins

Correct disposal closes the loop, because leftover chemicals and empty containers cause fires in bins, trucks, and garages.

Christchurch City Council prohibits paints, solvents, gas bottles, and batteries in kerbside bins, so plan trips to EcoDrop Resource Recovery Centres for household hazardous waste drop-off.

Confirm current limits, opening hours, and accepted items before you load the car, and never pour solvents into sinks, gully traps, or stormwater drains.

10-Point Prestart Checklist for Landlords

A short written prestart, signed by the parties who control the work, prevents the “nobody owns it” problem that causes most near-misses.

Use this 48 to 72 hours before work starts, then repeat any items that change when a new trade arrives.

1. Approve a task-based chemical inventory with maximum on-site quantities per day.

2. Nominate primary and secondary storage locations on the site plan.

3. Verify the flammable cabinet meets AS 1940 expectations and is installed correctly.

4. Set smoking and battery-charging zones well away from storage and waste.

5. Confirm isolation of pilot lights and gas appliances where flammables are used or stored.

6. Agree on the oily-rag process, including containers, lids down, and end-of-day removal.

7. Place hazard signage at storage points and keep access clear at all times.

8. Print and file the SDS pack for every hazardous product on site.

9. Define end-of-day lock-up with a simple sign-off and a named keyholder.

10. Place a suitable ABE extinguisher near storage and log regular checks during the job.