INTRODUCTION:Ten to thirty percent of the patients admitted to hospitals in India acquire nosocomial infections as against 5% in the developed world. The first and foremost principle of Universal Safety Precaution is "HANDWASHING". But the Health Care Workers often forget to wash their hands before interacting with the patient. Such contaminated hands plays major role in transmitting infections. HCWs are also at an increased risk of needle stick injuries. According to data from EPINet system, hospital workers incur approximately 30 needle stick injuries per 100 beds per year on average -an alarming figure by no exaggeration. (5) OBJECTIVE: To assess the knowledge and perception of HCWs towards hand hygiene and to know the incident of NSI and the factors associated with it. STUDY METHOD: Cross sectional study with purposive sampling was carried out in a tertiary care hospital. Out of 275 participants 55 were doctors, 143 nurses and 77 interns. Self administered questionnaire was used to collect information. RESULTS: Ninety one percent doctors, 86% interns and 81% nurses had good knowledge about hand hygiene. 73% doctors, 61% interns and 56% nurses knew the duration required for hand rub. The main hindrance for not practicing hand hygiene was due to lack of resources (37%). Knowledge about recapping of the needle was poor and incident of injury due to needle stick was 50% among nurses. CONCLUSIONS: Study demonstrated adequate knowledge regarding hand hygiene. The knowledge should be converted into practice. There is a need for educational programme about universal precautions especially about handling of the sharps.