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Hazardous Materials Removal Workers

Agriculture, Food and Natural ResourcesO*NET 47-4041.00United States

Identify, remove, pack, transport, or dispose of hazardous materials, including asbestos, lead-based paint, waste oil, fuel, transmission fluid, radioactive materials, or contaminated soil. Specialized training and certification in hazardous materials handling or a confined entry permit are generally required.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning
Median annual earnings
$49,462

50th percentile, United States

Projected change
+5.5%

2025 to 2035

Typical education
High school diploma or less

50.9% of the workforce

Employment
55.06K jobs

Growing to 58.08K by 2035

Explore this career by location

Compare nationwide estimates with state or county job-market data.

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

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The work

What hazardous materials removal workers do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

  • Build containment areas prior to beginning abatement or decontamination work.
  • Remove asbestos or lead from surfaces, using hand or power tools such as scrapers, vacuums, or high-pressure sprayers.
  • Identify asbestos, lead, or other hazardous materials to be removed, using monitoring devices.
  • Prepare hazardous material for removal or storage.
  • Comply with prescribed safety procedures or federal laws regulating waste disposal methods.
  • Load or unload materials into containers or onto trucks, using hoists or forklifts.
  • Clean contaminated equipment or areas for reuse, using detergents or solvents, sandblasters, filter pumps, or steam cleaners.
  • Remove or limit contamination following emergencies involving hazardous substances.
  • Clean mold-contaminated sites by removing damaged porous materials or thoroughly cleaning all contaminated nonporous materials.
  • Operate machines or equipment to remove, package, store, or transport loads of waste materials.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile
$38,459
25th percentile
$44,720
50th percentile
$49,462
75th percentile
$61,526
90th percentile
$82,410

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $49,462 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+5.5%average or slower
202555,061 jobs
2035 projected58,076 jobs

3,015 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

High school diploma or less
50.9%
Certificate
19.7%
Bachelor's degree
13.8%
Some college
13.7%
Associate degree
1.9%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

  • Emergency Response
  • Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
  • Lifting Ability
  • Personal Protective Equipment
  • Loading And Unloading
  • Packaging And Labeling
  • Environment Health And Safety
  • Housekeeping
  • Hand Tools
  • Regulatory Compliance
  • Asbestos Abatement
  • Forklift Truck
  • Spill Response
  • Demolition
  • Waste Management
  • Equipment Decontamination
  • Safety Standards
  • Project Management
  • Heavy Equipment
  • Field Service Management

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Operation and Control
Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Operations Monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Complex Problem Solving
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Quality Control Analysis
Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Instructing
Teaching others how to do something.
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Troubleshooting
Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Persuasion
Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Negotiation
Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

  1. 01Hazardous Materials Technicians457 postings
  2. 02Asbestos Supervisors442 postings
  3. 03Environmental Technicians239 postings
  4. 04Asbestos Workers219 postings
  5. 05Hazardous Waste Technicians210 postings
  6. 06Technicians199 postings
  7. 07Field Technicians170 postings
  8. 08Mitigation Technicians124 postings
  9. 09Field Service Foremen115 postings
  10. 10Environmental Services Technicians113 postings
  11. 11Cleaning Technicians109 postings
  12. 12Hazardous Waste Specialists62 postings
  13. 13Emergency Response Technicians61 postings
  14. 14Generator Field Service Technicians57 postings
  15. 15Hazmat Drivers57 postings
  16. 16Hydrologic Technicians43 postings
  17. 17Hazardous Materials Managers40 postings
  18. 18Environmental Field Technicians37 postings
  19. 19Recycling Technicians37 postings
  20. 20Hazmat Specialists34 postings

Top employers

  1. 01Clean Harbors555 postings
  2. 02Republic Services120 postings
  3. 03First Call Environmental90 postings
  4. 04Aramark89 postings
  5. 05HPC Industrial65 postings
  6. 06Clean Earth55 postings
  7. 07Enviroserve54 postings
  8. 08Aerotek53 postings
  9. 09KBR43 postings
  10. 10Crm Workforce Solutions39 postings
  11. 11SBM Management Services38 postings
  12. 12Blue Origin36 postings
  13. 13Paul Davis Restoration36 postings
  14. 14Trademark Staffing29 postings
  15. 15Ati Restoration28 postings
  16. 16Waste Management28 postings
  17. 17Moran Environmental Recovery27 postings
  18. 18Gfl Environmental26 postings
  19. 19Enviri Industries Sdn Bhd25 postings
  20. 20Set Environmental25 postings

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