Even though the man has learned to defend himself, or ultimately to adapt to various hazards lurking in the nature, the greatest threat to his health and safety lies in poisons from anthropogenic sources, i.e. those created by the man himself. In spite of being aware of the potentional dangers of many poisons and risks they represent to our health, we cannot simply dispose of all poisons, neither from everyday life, nor from the work environment, due to the fact that the very same poisons are frequently the basis of various tehnological processes. Poisons can be found in many industries – ranging from agriculture, forestry, producing energy, processing and food industry, pharmaceutical industry, to many other branches of economy in which people are in direct or indirect contact with these hazards. It is evident that the exposure to toxic substances in working environment over a longer period of time can lead to occupational diseases caused by these harmful influences. Therefore, the logical question that poses itself is how to protect oneself from the effects of toxic substances in the work process. Considering the fact that occupational diseases are mostly caused by various chemical, physical or biological hazards in the workplace, and usually occur after many years of exposure, this paper presents data connected with occupational exposure to toxic substances in the Republic of Croatia from 2010 to 2020. Based on the data published in the annual reports of the Poison Control Center at the Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, the analysis of all the recorded cases of occupational poisoning in the observed period has been made. Those cases were caused by toxic substances, such as welding fumes, acids and alkalis, organic solvents, pesticides, drugs, metals, disinfectants, antiseptics and others.