Objective:The study's purpose has been to assess the knowledge of the nursing team regarding hand hygiene in an emergency service, and also identify the sociodemographic and occupational profile of those professionals. Methods: It is a cross-sectional, descriptive and quantitative survey performed in a municipality located in the Northwest of the Rio Grande do Sul State with nursing professionals who work in an emergency service from a private hospital. Data were collected through the "Hand Hygiene Knowledge Questionnaire for Health Care Workers". Results: Professionals are unaware of the minimum time required for elimination of hand microorganisms with use of an alcoholic solution. Concerning the items that must be avoided because of their association to the possibility of microorganism proliferation, most participants met the expectations by choosing the correct answers. Conclusion: The staff 's knowledge is satisfactory, however, there are gaps to be addressed. Continuing education programs should be established to keep these practices in accordance with the guidelines recommended by the Ministry of Health.