If you get sick as a result of overexposure to chemicals at the workplace, what has happened?

• A. You have contracted an occupational disease
• B. You have sustained an accidental injury
• C. You have a temporary illness unrelated to work
• D. You have developed an infectious disease

Answer: (A)

Over time, when a person becomes sick because of exposure to chemicals at work, the illness is considered an occupational disease. This category covers conditions that develop from job-related hazards rather than from a single accidental event. It is not an infectious disease, since that requires a pathogen, and it isn’t a temporary illness unrelated to work. An accidental injury would be a sudden harm from a specific incident, not a gradual reaction to chemical exposure.