Washing apparatus provided with a system for the automatic loading and unloading of instrument-carrying trolleys in a washing chamber equipped with two opposing openings, characterized in that said system comprises: two independent mechanisms with reciprocating motion along a linear path extending from a loading end to an unloading end of the apparatus, each of said mechanisms being essentially composed of a cursor mounted on a linear actuator and equipped with a push or pull lever which is mobile between a rest position, in which it allows said cursor to pass an instrument-carrying trolley without engaging it, and a working position in which it engages the instrument-carrying trolley to push it into the washing chamber during loading and to pull it out of the washing chamber during unloading, the apparatus comprising a safety device that stops the cursor in case the instrument-carrying trolley encounters an obstacle in its path, and said safety device is arranged between the cursor and said linear actuator and includes: - a deactivation bracket attached to the linear actuator and mobile with respect to the cursor; - two or more contrast elastic means arranged between said deactivation bracket and the cursor so as to oppose the relative motion between them and to transmit the movement from the linear actuator to the cursor in both directions of said reciprocating motion; - means of adjustment of the pre-load of said two or more contrast elastic means, so as to determine the threshold of intervention of the safety device; - one or more sensors configured and operatively connected to detect said relative motion between the deactivation bracket and the cursor and consequently stop the linear actuator. two independent mechanisms with reciprocating motion along a linear path extending from a loading end to an unloading end of the apparatus, each of said mechanisms being essentially composed of a cursor mounted on a linear actuator and equipped with a push or pull lever which is mobile between a rest position, in which it allows said cursor to pass an instrument-carrying trolley without engaging it, and a working position in which it engages the instrument-carrying trolley to push it into the washing chamber during loading and to pull it out of the washing chamber during unloading, the apparatus comprising a safety device that stops the cursor in case the instrument-carrying trolley encounters an obstacle in its path, and said safety device is arranged between the cursor and said linear actuator and includes: - a deactivation bracket attached to the linear actuator and mobile with respect to the cursor; - two or more contrast elastic means arranged between said deactivation bracket and the cursor so as to oppose the relative motion between them and to transmit the movement from the linear actuator to the cursor in both directions of said reciprocating motion; - means of adjustment of the pre-load of said two or more contrast elastic means, so as to determine the threshold of intervention of the safety device; - one or more sensors configured and operatively connected to detect said relative motion between the deactivation bracket and the cursor and consequently stop the linear actuator. - a deactivation bracket attached to the linear actuator and mobile with respect to the cursor; - two or more contrast elastic means arranged between said deactivation bracket and the cursor so as to oppose the relative motion between them and to transmit the movement from the linear actuator to the cursor in both directions of said reciprocating motion; - means of adjustment of the pre-load of said two or more contrast elastic means, so as to determine the threshold of intervention of the safety device; - one or more sensors configured and operatively connected to detect said relative motion between the deactivation bracket and the cursor and consequently stop the linear actuator. <EOS>