Background : Contamination of the operating theatre is a major cause of nosocomial infection.rnBacterial pathogens isolated from hospital environments are also known to develop resistance tornmultiple antimicrobial agents.rnObjective: To assess the sanitation practices of Health Care Workers (HCWs) as well asrnbacterial profilernand the antibiotic sensitivity pattern of the isolates in operating roomrnenvironments of government hospitals in Addis Ababa.rnMethods: A hospital based cross sectional study wasrnconducted from August to Novemberrn2014 in Government Hospitals in Addis Ababa. The total of 346 specimens of surfaces swabsrnand air samples were collected using sterile cotton tipped swabs moistened with normal salinernand open plate technique. The study was also supplemented by observation and informationrngathered from HCWs. Data was analyzed by SPSS version 16 and the results were explained byrnusing percentage, tables and different figures.rnResult: Of the 346 samples, 47.4% (n=164)were positive for bacterial growth, 23.8%rn(n=39) by open plate and 76.2% (n=125) by swabbing method, respectively. A total of 221rnbacterial pathogens were recovered from all samples processed in this study. Coagulase negativernStaphylococcus, 160(72.4%) were the predominant bacterial isolates followed by S. aureusrn33(15%). Antibiotic susceptibility pattern of bacterial pathogens showed overall sensitivity ofrn88.7% to ciprofloxacin and most of them had overall resistance of 42.5% to tetracycline andrn33.5% to chloramphenicol. A total of 89 healthcare workers were interviewed. Majority of themrn58(65.2%) had training on hand hygiene practice. Sixty four percent 57(64.0%) of thernrespondents routinely used an alcohol-based hand rub for hand hygiene, 59(66.3%) had everrnwore at least five types of personal protective equipment (PPE) always while providing care.rnConclusion and Recommendation: In general, we found coagulase-negative staphylococci tornbe the major species contaminating the air and other surfaces in the operating rooms. This mayrnbe due to Staphylococci are usually human in origin and point to the restriction of traffic inrnoperating rooms. Microbiological surveillance of operating theaters can play an important role inrnreducing bacterial contamination consequently preoperative infectious episodes can be reducedrnconsiderably.