Hand sanitizer dispensers can be found located around the Texas A&M University-Commerce campus to protect against germs and other bacteria.

Starting around February 2014, hand sanitizers went up in almost every building on campus. The dispensers were distributed for students, faculty, and staff that want a little extra help in protecting against germs.

“It all started with flu season-type stuff going on,” John Harris, Environmental Manager of the Department of Safety and Risk Management, said. “We were just trying to head off any kind of issues like that, and we’ve basically just kept them to provide access to that in case someone needs one.”

Justin Fregia, Safety Coordinator for the Department of Safety and Risk Management, is in charge of managing the dispensers. Several student workers also inspect the dispensers to make sure they’re full and intact. The dispensers are changed varyingly, depending on how much they are used.

“We have some that if they’re not getting a lot of action, they could go a long time between replacing the bag,” Harris added. “There are other locations, like the library, where they get replaced more often. It just varies on usage.”

At this time, there are no plans to add more hand sanitizer dispensers around campus, though if one were to be requested to the department, one could potentially be added per request.

As various stomach bugs and sicknesses make their way around the campus, it’s important to remember to take precaution when around other people, and to try and avoid the germs in the air. Using hand sanitizer is one way to help with this, but there are other ways as well.

“The best thing is hand washing,” Harris said. “That’s the thing people need to do. The hand sanitizer is kind of just there for when you don’t have washing facilities available. Beyond that is things like don’t cough into your hand, cough into your elbow so that way you’re not spreading germs around from your hand to doorknobs or whatever. Use good personal hygiene, and if you’re sick, stay home.”

WebMD also has several other tips for avoiding colds, flus, and other germs, such as exercising for immunity, flu shots, and eating and sleeping right help keep the body from getting sick.

For more information or to put in a request for a hand sanitizer dispenser, contact John Harris at 903.468.3129 or [email protected]. The Department of Safety and Risk Management is located in Ferguson Social Sciences Room #119B.