Introduction:

this study was carried out based on the National Survey of Employment, Unemployment and Underemployment (ENEMDU), conducted by the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses of Ecuador (INEC) in June 2018, which represents one of the most important statistical tools to know the labor situation in the country.

Objective:

To describe and analyze the perception of safety and health, associated with socio-demographic and work characteristics in Ecuador.

Methodology:

it consisted of a quantitative, descriptive and transversal research. A probabilistic sampling method was applied being 28.636 people who meet the condition of being working at this time. SPSS software was used for the development of absolute and relative frequencies and calculation of chi-square test.

Results:

the results show that 3.7 % of the respondents have had a pre-occupational exam and 7.2 % have been periodically examined; in turn, 42 % have been informed about the risks at work and 14% have been trained on the risk to which they are exposed.

Discussion:

these results indicate a deficit of Health and Safety Management at the national level, Conclusion: This work highlights the need to identify the factors of Occupational risks and their impact on health, which together with official records allow to know the realities of organizations to establish new health and safety policies in the country.