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Hazardous Materials Removal Workers
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. May operate earth-moving equipment or trucks.
Other titles employers use
Abatement Worker · Asbestos Abatement Worker · Asbestos Hazard Abatement Worker · Asbestos Remover · Asbestos Worker · Decontamination and Decommissioning Operator (D and D Operator) · Hazmat Technician (Hazardous Materials Technician) · Waste Handling Technician
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- 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.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to practical and organizing work.
- Practical
- Building, repairing, using tools, or working outdoors
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Monitoring
- Critical Thinking
- Operation and Control
- Active Listening
- Operations Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
Subjects to know
- Public Safety and Security
- Administration and Management
- Transportation
- Customer and Personal Service
- Building and Construction
Useful strengths
- Problem Sensitivity
- Oral Comprehension
- Control Precision
- Oral Expression
- Near Vision
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 3.7 | Shared rooms, but not shoulder to shoulder |
| On your feet | 3.9 | Up and down through the day |
| Talking face to face | 4.8 | Continuous — the job is conversations |
| Working with your hands | 3.9 | Some of the day |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for a high school diploma. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- High school or less 51%
- A certificate or some college 33%
- A four-year degree 14%
- A two-year degree 2%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Enterprise application integration software
- Spreadsheet software
- Office suite software
- Electronic mail software
- Presentation software
- Word processing software
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software
- Data base user interface and query software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 7,700
- Job openings each year
- 840
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 6.9%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 7,700 | 840 | 6.9% |
| Texas | 5,320 | 620 | 24.0% |
| New York | 4,360 | 60 | 14.4% |
| Florida | 2,420 | 270 | 7.1% |
| Ohio | 1,930 | 210 | — |
| Colorado | 1,890 | 210 | 14.5% |
| Washington | 1,780 | 210 | 7.9% |
| Illinois | 1,740 | 180 | −2.8% |
| Pennsylvania | 1,690 | 180 | −2.3% |
| Virginia | 1,690 | 180 | — |
| New Jersey | 1,410 | 150 | 2.2% |
| North Carolina | 1,260 | 140 | 15.6% |
| Indiana | 1,130 | 120 | — |
| Massachusetts | 1,090 | 120 | 5.8% |
| Michigan | 1,010 | 110 | −1.0% |
| Idaho | 940 | 110 | 17.5% |
| Wisconsin | 940 | 100 | 2.2% |
| Maryland | 930 | 100 | 2.2% |
| Tennessee | 910 | 100 | 19.7% |
| Oregon | 860 | 100 | 11.7% |
| New Mexico | 830 | 90 | 10.7% |
| Georgia | 800 | 90 | 17.6% |
| Connecticut | 710 | 80 | 6.0% |
| Alabama | 680 | 70 | 3.0% |
| Nevada | 640 | 70 | 4.9% |
| Arizona | 590 | 70 | 13.5% |
| Arkansas | 560 | 60 | 9.8% |
| South Carolina | 560 | 60 | −3.4% |
| Iowa | 490 | 50 | 6.5% |
| Minnesota | 460 | 50 | 7.0% |
| Missouri | 450 | 50 | 7.1% |
| Kansas | 430 | 50 | — |
| Louisiana | 370 | 40 | — |
| Alaska | 360 | 40 | 16.1% |
| Utah | 340 | 40 | 30.8% |
| Mississippi | 330 | 40 | — |
| Nebraska | 320 | 30 | 6.7% |
| West Virginia | 310 | 30 | 6.9% |
| Oklahoma | 280 | 30 | −3.4% |
| Kentucky | 270 | 30 | −3.6% |
| Rhode Island | 260 | 30 | 8.3% |
| Maine | 220 | 20 | −12.0% |
| District of Columbia | 190 | 20 | 18.8% |
| Vermont | 150 | 20 | — |
| South Dakota | 140 | 20 | — |
| New Hampshire | 120 | 10 | — |
| Montana | 100 | 10 | 11.1% |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
Appalachian State University
- Degrees each year
- 55
- Admit rate
- 89%
- Annual cost after aid
- $15,000
North Carolina State University at Raleigh
- Degrees each year
- 15
- Admit rate
- 40%
- Annual cost after aid
- $13,000
Rochester Institute of Technology
- Degrees each year
- 11
- Admit rate
- 71%
- Annual cost after aid
- $29,000
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
- Degrees each year
- 6
- Admit rate
- 88%
- Annual cost after aid
- $11,000
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
- Degrees each year
- 5
- Admit rate
- 87%
- Annual cost after aid
- $12,000
The Catholic University of America
- Degrees each year
- 1
- Admit rate
- 84%
- Annual cost after aid
- $25,000
Compare every college offering environmental control technologies/technicians