Hazardous Materials Removal Workers Career, Salary and Skills
Hazardous Materials Removal Workers have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $49,450 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 51,710. Wage data is published for 190 locations.
Occupation description
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.
O*NET code
47-4041.00
Job zone
2
Typical education
Not recorded
Experience
None
National salary and employment
Median annual
$49,450
Hourly median
$23.78
Employment
51,710
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Monitoring | 3.50 | 3.25 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.25 | 3.38 |
| Active Listening | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Speaking | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Coordination | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Operation and Control | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Time Management | 3.00 | 3.00 |
Typical tasks
- 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.
- 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.
- Operate machines or equipment to remove, package, store, or transport loads of waste materials.
- Remove asbestos or lead from surfaces, using hand or power tools such as scrapers, vacuums, or high-pressure sprayers.
Technology
- Computerized maintenance management system software CMMS
- Database software
- Inventory management systems
- Jenkins CI
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
- SAP software
- Xactware Xactimate
Hazardous Materials Removal Workers salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Hazardous Materials Removal Workers Salary in CAMedian $56,120 · Employment 7,340
- Hazardous Materials Removal Workers Salary in TXMedian $44,390 · Employment 4,450
- Hazardous Materials Removal Workers Salary in NYMedian $73,090 · Employment 4,090
- Hazardous Materials Removal Workers Salary in New York, NYMedian $74,060 · Employment 3,770
- Hazardous Materials Removal Workers Salary in WAMedian $60,160 · Employment 3,250
- Hazardous Materials Removal Workers Salary in MAMedian $49,620 · Employment 2,770
- Hazardous Materials Removal Workers Salary in Los Angeles, CAMedian $51,160 · Employment 2,470
- Hazardous Materials Removal Workers Salary in NJMedian $55,900 · Employment 2,250
- Hazardous Materials Removal Workers Salary in Boston, MAMedian $49,930 · Employment 1,980
- Hazardous Materials Removal Workers Salary in ILMedian $61,330 · Employment 1,980
- Hazardous Materials Removal Workers Salary in FLMedian $42,350 · Employment 1,780
- Hazardous Materials Removal Workers Salary in Seattle, WAMedian $60,290 · Employment 1,620
Related careers
- Chemical Plant and System OperatorsNational median $78,120
- Helpers--Extraction WorkersNational median $47,730
- Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and InspectorsNational median $115,160
- Occupational Health and Safety SpecialistsNational median $90,150
- Nuclear Monitoring TechniciansNational median $110,240
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, GeneralNational median $49,590
- Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment OperatorsNational median $59,850
- Environmental EngineersNational median $107,110
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.