USC to replace automatic hand sanitizer dispensers in residence halls

Perhaps never before has hand sanitizer caused USC so much grief — until earlier this month, when a battery-powered sanitizing station sparked a small fire on the sixth floor of Parkside Apartments.

Now, USC Housing will swap all 150 of its automatic hand sanitizing stations in favor of manual pumps, according to a university spokesperson, who also noted that USC Fire Safety recommended the move “out of an abundance of caution.”

Lithium-ion batteries in consumer electronics, including automatic sanitizer dispensers, are known to spark fires at times. Under the contract with the vendor, the replacements come at no cost to USC, which only pays for the refills that go into dispensers.

Housing officials originally told residents that the fire was a suspected case of arson, but changed their tune when they discovered the dispenser was battery-operated: a potentially welcome relief for some residents, depending on whether those students prefer living in close quarters with arsonous neighbors or just down the hall from a spontaneously combusting hand-sanitizing station.

“When I heard the potential cause of the fire was arson, I was kind of skeptical,” said Katrina Kong Smith, a Parkside resident and freshman majoring in health and human sciences. “Even though I don’t interact with everyone on my floor, I feel like I knew enough about our area that it was not [arson].”

The fire didn’t cause any injuries or major damage, though it did temporarily relocate nine students from five apartments in the building while USC Housing repaired water damage from the sprinkler system.

NBC reported earlier this month that lithium-ion batteries are sparking fires at an alarming rate across the United States and that those fires are often faster-spreading and harder to tame than traditional blazes.

“When designed, manufactured and used properly, lithium batteries are a safe, high energy density power source for devices,” reads a 2019 Occupational Safety and Health Administration bulletin. “While lithium batteries are normally safe, they may cause injury if they have design defects, are made of low-quality materials, are assembled incorrectly, are used or recharged improperly, or are damaged.”