In this study the defect rates in touchless and mechanical hand hygiene dispensers was investigated in the University Hospital Basel, Switzerland. The used touchless (367$ per device) and mechanical dispensers (254 $ per device) were from a single manufacturer and equipped with Sterillium® classic pure. Touchless dispensers (12/44) showed a cumulative defect rate of 27% over a median of 422 days or 6296 hand hygiene events. Mechanical dispensers (0/39) did not fail. Defects in touchless hand hygiene dispensers were mostly caused by mechanical pump malfunctions.