7 Investigates: Ineffective hand sanitizer alternative left up for months in MBTA facilities

Back in the Spring, the T ordered $1.6 million worth of the product. Dispensers of it were mounted in commuter rail maintenance facilities for workers to help protect themselves from COVID. 

Then last month the Massachusetts Attorney General announced the product was–in her words–“No good.”      

“It doesn’t even contain alcohol, which is obviously a key ingredient in any sanitizer,” Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said in an interview with 7 News on November 18th.

Dispensers with the stuff inside were supposed to be taken down.   

But we discovered not all of the dispensers were removed. Dozens remained in place for employees to use.

The T tells us that Keolis, the company that manages the commuter rail, was notified early in the summer about the decision to remove the dispensers.  

But these pictures taken months later show dispensers still in bathrooms and hallways at Keolis-run facilities. You can see the Theraworx Protect bags inside.   

“Once it became clear that this product was not doing what it should be doing, there should have been swift action to remove it and replace it with something that does protect workers,” Jodi Sugerman-Brozan, Workplace Safety Expert and Executive Director for the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (MassCOSH), said.  

The MBTA now admits more than 50 dispensers were still up in two Somerville maintenance facilities.  

Some of the dispensers had posters next to them saying “Protect Yourself” and calling the product a “topical immune barrier system” that helps “in the prevention of communicable viruses.”     

All dispensers were finally taken down in late November. And only after 7 Investigates told the T about the pictures.     

“It’s unbelievable because we are not dealing with some small hazard here. We are dealing with a deadly virus and therefore, employers should be doing everything they can to ensure the health and safety of their workers,” Sugerman-Brozan said.

We repeatedly asked Keolis why it took so long to remove the dispensers– but they didn’t give us an answer. The MBTA tells us the dispensers were left up by mistake and that the health and wellbeing of T employees is a top priority.

If you have a tip or story idea, email TellHank@whdh.com.