Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/1406432
4 I PSAI Association Insight, September 1, 2021 Pacific Sanitary Service of Los Angeles ad from the San Bernardino County Sun from July 29, 1949, is shown but the image quality is lacking. To illustrate the goals and objectives of these early operators, here is the content of this advertisement: PORTABLE CHEMICAL TOILETS RENTED AND SERVICED AS LOW AS $1.00 PER DAY OUR SERVICE PROVIDES CONVENIENT SANITARY TOILET FACILITIES FOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS THROUGHOUT THE WEST SERVICE SCHEDULE: Our maintenance men will make service calls to your job every other day. This service includes the following: pump out all old waste matter from the tank; sterilizing and recharging the tank with fresh chemicals; replenishing the supply of toilet tissue; and a thorough cleaning of the premises. PROTECTS WORKERS' HEALTH: The high degree of sanitation achieved by constant servicing and chemical safeguards against disease-bearing flies, is a protection for workers' health that cannot be overemphasized. SAVES MAN HOURS: By conveniently placing these portable toilets throughout your working area, many steps are saved and therefore more man hours can be put on the job itself. One unit will accommodate up to 30 persons a day – the average usage per person being twice daily. OFFICIALLY SANCTIONED FOR FAIRS, CARNIVALS, RELIGIOUS MEETINGS, BALL PARKS, BEACHES, PICNICS, CONVENTIONS CALL OR WRITE: PACIFIC SANITARY COMPANY 2861 W. Pico Blvd Los Angeles 6, Calif. LO 5-9672 REVERSE CHARGES ACCEPTED This is an interesting glimpse of an early portable restroom operator's product offering, service objectives and projected customer base from 72 years ago! In 1949 when the Pacific Sanitary Company ran its ad, the minimum wage was $0.75 per hour and a gallon of gas was $0.27 per gallon. At $1.00 per day, a monthly rental would have been $30. Have your rental fees gone up as much as labor and fuel costs? Also note that Pacific Sanitary was providing units that accommodated 120 uses before servicing—which was occurring every other day! Their service regime should sound familiar, and they claimed to be "sterilizing" the tank too. Pretty ambitious for a job site even today. Characteristics of Wooden Units Several operators that either owned or worked with wooden units have described various common features in their descriptions of these ancestors to the polyethylene units of today. • Each operator developed their own plans and design for the construction of these units. • With the 3 walls, door, floor, and roof constructed of plywood, the weight of wood units was between two and three times the weight of a unit today. • Given the weight and bulk, wood units were difficult to load and to transport. • Once on site, wood units had to be driven to the point where they could be dropped off. Hand-trucking units to locations was extremely difficult or impossible. • The wood units were painted. When they returned to the yard after a lengthy rental, the units were typically painted again to look good for the next customer. The layers of paint added additional weight to the unit. Wooden Portable Restroom Units – A Long History (continued from page 3) (continued on page 5)