Objective: to assess the compliance with safety measures in the insertion, maintenance and removal of urinary catheters in patients admitted to a hospital of second level of care. Method: a prospective observational analytical design. A monitoring plan was prepared for patients with urinary catheter (UC), including: clinical relevance of the insertion, adequate information for patients, use of adequate materials, correct insertion technique, adequate attachment of the catheter, maintenance of the catheter, and assessment of its removal. The monitors observed and recorded the safety measures based on a check-list prepared ad hoc. Descriptive and analytical analysis was conducted. The SPSS program, version 24, was used for statistical analysis. Results: in total, 184 patients were recruited. There was a 40.5% rate of compliance with safety measures. The measures with more frequent compliance during UC placement were: taking a urine sample for culture (93%), correct identification of the procedure conducted and its record (86%), and application of the correct technique for UC insertion (64%). The factors associated with urinary tract infection were: higher number of days with a catheter (r2= 0.49, p< 0.05), lack of genital hygiene (r2= 0.20, p< 0.05), lack of care for the drainage system (r2= 0.23, p< 0.05) and immobility and/or prostration (r2= 0.2, p< 0.05). Conclusions: there is low compliance in terms of safety measures for the insertion, maintenance and removal of urinary catheters. Various factors have been identified which increase the risk of UC-related UTI.