late 1920's original and intact american industrial foot-operated galvanized steel oily waste can with a nicely worn and weathered red paint finish. the reinforced metal trash can contains a riveted joint strap metal foot pedal for conveniently opening and closing the top. manufacturing environments in the 1920's were vastly different from today's modern, efficient and highly regulated facilities. most had overhead line shafts and creosote wood floors saturated with oils and cutting liquids and few, if any of these facilities had sprinkler protection. gasoline, naphtha, kerosene and carbon tetrachloride were common cleaning agents. most were potential fire hazards and all released harmful vapors into the atmosphere endangering employee health. r.j. anschicks, the founder of the protectoseal company, realized early on that the safety of a manufacturing company workforce and the prevention of losses through fire damage were paramount to its success. so he adapted the technology of the davy miners lamp, which involved the use of a perforated metal barrier that prevented a vapor mixture from combusting, to create what became known as a flash arrester. this principle was applied to the development of containers specifically designed for the safe storage and handling of flammable liquids. the "protectoseal" waste can is fully operational. depth 12-1/2" x width 12-1/2" x height 15".