Careers / Hazardous Materials Removal Workers
Hazardous Materials Removal Workers — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$49,450
United States, 2025
Employment
51,710
United States, 2025
Typical education
Not recorded
Job Zone 2
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
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
- Experience required
- None
Typical tasks
- 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.
- 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.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$38,460
25th percentile
$44,720
75th percentile
$61,530
90th percentile
$82,410
Most important skills
- Monitoring3.5
- Critical Thinking3.3
- Active Listening3.1
- Reading Comprehension3.0
- Operations Monitoring3.0
- Operation and Control3.0
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0
- Time Management3.0
- Coordination3.0
- Speaking3.0
- Complex Problem Solving2.9
- Active Learning2.9
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 10 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
10
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monitoring | 3.5 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.3 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Active Listening | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Coordination | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Operation and Control | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Time Management | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Speaking | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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Compare with Hazardous Materials Removal WorkersHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kennewick, WA | $104,530 | 720 | 2025 |
| Pueblo, CO | $79,260 | 70 | 2025 |
| Amarillo, TX | $77,580 | 120 | 2025 |
| Knoxville, TN | $75,280 | 230 | 2025 |
| New York, NY | $74,060 | 3,770 | 2025 |
| NY | $73,090 | 4,090 | 2025 |
| St. Louis, MO | $67,010 | 300 | 2025 |
| Binghamton, NY | $62,090 | 50 | 2025 |
| Chicago, IL | $61,330 | 1,580 | 2025 |
| IL | $61,330 | 1,980 | 2025 |
| Warner Robins, GA | $61,170 | 50 | 2025 |
| San Jose, CA | $60,390 | 250 | 2025 |
| Albany, NY | $60,390 | 310 | 2025 |
| AK | $60,320 | 140 | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $60,290 | 1,620 | 2025 |
| Denver, CO | $60,260 | 930 | 2025 |
| DC | $60,240 | 50 | 2025 |
| WA | $60,160 | 3,250 | 2025 |
| ND | $60,160 | 170 | 2025 |
| TN | $60,090 | 570 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Hazardous Materials Removal Workers to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.