Abstract

INTRODUCTION. Nursing staff, the largest workforce in the healthcare sector, face various occupational risks, and risk perception is key to preventing accidents and illnesses. OBJECTIVE. To evaluate the perception of occupational risks among nursing teams in four Chilean hospitals. METHODOLOGY. A quantitative, cross-sectional, correlational study was conducted with 501 nursing workers. Data was collected using the Nursing Team Occupational Risk Scale, calculating descriptive statistics for items and dimensions, as well as global and specific risk indices. The Kruskal-Wallis test was applied to compare results across hospitals, roles, and units. RESULTS. The Global Risk Index scored 47.9 points, with nursing supervisors obtaining the highest score (50.3). Significant differences were identified between global indices of supervisors, professionals, and technicians (p = 0.0410), with supervisors and technicians scoring higher than clinical professionals and administrative staff (p = 0.04). Additionally, clinical support units reported higher indices than emergency units (p = 0.006). In the Mental Workload and Stress and Emotional Exhaustion dimensions, supervisors had significantly higher scores. Significant differences were also observed in the dimensions of Physical Risks (p = 0.0001), Mental Workload (p = 0.03), and Person and Environment-Related Factors (p = 0.0007) across work units. CONCLUSION. The nursing staff's perception of occupational risk was moderate. Results from supervisors and clinical support units underscore the need to expand the focus beyond traditionally studied clinical services and personnel, suggesting the segmentation of staff in future evaluations and interventions.