Construction and Extraction · Holland code RCI
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.
Also called: Abatement Worker, Asbestos Abatement Worker, Asbestos Worker, Hazmat Technician (Hazardous Materials Technician), Clandestine Laboratory Responder (Clan Lab Responder), D and D Operator (Decontaminate and Decommissioning Operator), D and D Operator (Decontamination and Decommissioning Operator), Mold Damage Technician (Mold Damage Tech).
O*NET 47-4041.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $49,450
- Middle half earn $44,720 to $61,530. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 2 of 5
- Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
- US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034
- +1% · Slower than average
- 51,300 jobs in 2024, projected 51,800. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Hazardous materials removal workers".
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Remove asbestos or lead from surfaces, using hand or power tools such as scrapers, vacuums, or high-pressure sprayers.
- Build containment areas prior to beginning abatement or decontamination work.
- Prepare hazardous material for removal or storage.
- Comply with prescribed safety procedures or federal laws regulating waste disposal methods.
- Identify asbestos, lead, or other hazardous materials to be removed, using monitoring devices.
- Record numbers of containers stored at disposal sites, specifying amounts or types of equipment or waste disposed.
- Clean contaminated equipment or areas for reuse, using detergents or solvents, sandblasters, filter pumps, or steam cleaners.
- Clean mold-contaminated sites by removing damaged porous materials or thoroughly cleaning all contaminated nonporous materials.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Monitoring3.5 / 5
- Critical Thinking3.3 / 5
- Active Listening3.1 / 5
- Reading Comprehension3.0 / 5
- Speaking3.0 / 5
- Active Learning2.9 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Public Safety and Security3.9 / 5
- Customer and Personal Service3.8 / 5
- Administration and Management3.6 / 5
- Education and Training3.5 / 5
- English Language3.3 / 5
- Transportation3.2 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic100
- Investigative26
- Artistic0
- Social8
- Enterprising3
- Conventional56
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- hazardous waste technician · DE Techniker gefährliche Abfälle/Technikerin gefährliche Abfälle · FR technicien en déchets dangereux/technicienne en déchets dangereux
- liquid waste treatment plant operator · DE Steuerer von Flüssigabfallaufbereitungsanlagen/Steuerin von Flüssigabfallaufbereitungsanlagen · FR conducteur d’installations de traitement de déchets liquides/conductrice d’installations de traitement de déchets liquides
- solid waste operator · DE Steuerer von Festabfallaufbereitungsanlagen/Steuerin von Festabfallaufbereitungsanlagen · FR conducteur d’installations de traitement de déchets solides/conductrice d’installations de traitement de déchets solides
- hazardous materials inspector · DE Inspektor Gefahrstoffe/Inspektorin Gefahrstoffe · FR inspecteur du contrôle de conformité en gestion des matières dangereuses/inspectrice du contrôle de conformité en gestion des matières dangereuses
- hazardous waste inspector · DE Inspektor gefährliche Abfälle/Inspektorin gefährliche Abfälle · FR inspecteur du contrôle de conformité en gestion des déchets dangereux/inspectrice du contrôle de conformité en gestion des déchets dangereux
- demolition worker · DE Bauwerksmechaniker für Abbruch und Betontrenntechnik/Bauwerksmechanikerin für Abbruch und Betontrenntechnik · FR démolisseur/démolisseuse
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Heavy and large goods vehicle drivers (8211)273,400 employed
- Water and sewerage plant operatives (8134)21,000 employed
- Environmental health professionals (2483)14,900 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Craft and related trades workers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €40,086 |
| Germany | €38,638 |
| Austria | €38,194 |
| Sweden | €37,856 |
| Netherlands | €37,077 |
| Ireland | €36,098 |
| France | €27,145 |
| Italy | €26,488 |
| Spain | €22,817 |
| Portugal | €11,142 |
| Poland | €10,099 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -0.69. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (47-4041).
Related careers
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