Aim To adapt culturally and validate the Polish version of the Healthy Work Environment Assessment Tool for use among hospital nurses working in inpatient wards, and to assess nurses’ perception of the work environment in medical and surgical wards. Design Two-phase cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric validation study. Methods A cross-sectional, multicenter validation study was conducted in eight hospitals in 2024–2025. A convenience sample of nurses providing adult inpatient care completed the Healthy Work Environment Assessment Tool and the measure assessing teamwork and safety climate. Cultural adaptation was conducted in accordance with established translation and expert review procedures. A psychometric evaluation included analyses of internal structure, internal consistency, temporal stability, and convergent validity. Results The tool demonstrated good measurement performance, including high internal consistency, satisfactory temporal stability, and convergent validity, as indicated by positive relationships with related constructs. Nurses reported a low-to-moderate level of a healthy work environment, with staffing rated as the weakest area, whereas decision-making and communication were rated higher. Conclusion The Polish version of Healthy Work Environment Assessment Tool is suitable for assessing key components of a healthy work environment among hospital nurses in medical and surgical wards and may support monitoring and improvement initiatives. Implications Routine assessment can help leaders identify priority gaps, particularly staffing, and guide organizational actions that support nursing retention, quality of care, and patient safety. Impact The validated Polish version of the tool enables systematic assessment of nurses’ perceptions of a healthy work environment in hospital wards. It can help hospitals identify gaps and guide improvement efforts, particularly in staffing, to support safe, high-quality nursing care. Reporting Method The study adhered to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology reporting checklist for cross-sectional studies.