# 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.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/hazardous-materials-removal-workers
- SOC code: 47-4041.00
- Career family: Construction and extraction
- Median annual pay: $49,450 (10th percentile $38,460, 90th percentile $82,410)
- Projected growth: Slower than average, +1.5%
- Openings a year: 4,300
- Typical entry education: High school diploma
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code RCI)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 100 |
| Investigative (I) | 26 |
| Artistic (A) | 0 |
| Social (S) | 8 |
| Enterprising (E) | 3 |
| Conventional (C) | 56 |

## What you'd do

- Getting Information (importance 78/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 70/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 68/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 67/100)
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (importance 66/100)
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings (importance 65/100)
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards (importance 61/100)
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work (importance 59/100)
- Performing General Physical Activities (importance 59/100)
- Thinking Creatively (importance 56/100)

## Skills

Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Coordination, Judgment and Decision Making, Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Time Management

## Knowledge

Public Safety and Security, Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management, Education and Training, English Language, Transportation, Chemistry, Law and Government, Mechanical, Administrative

## Also called

Abatement Worker, Asbestos Abatement Worker, Asbestos Coverer, Asbestos Handler, Asbestos Remover, Asbestos Technician (Asbestos Tech), Asbestos Worker, Clandestine Laboratory Responder (Clan Lab Responder), D and D Operator (Decontaminate and Decommissioning Operator), D and D Operator (Decontamination and Decommissioning Operator)

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1505) (CIP 1505, 283 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [The University of Findlay](https://www.collegesref.com/college/the-university-of-findlay-2754) | Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians | not reported | $94,131 | not reported |
| [Rochester Institute of Technology](https://www.collegesref.com/college/rochester-institute-of-technology-2250) | Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians | not reported | $84,755 | $22,250 |
| [Appalachian State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/appalachian-state-university-93) | Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians | $47,866 | $69,956 | $22,500 |
| [North Carolina State University at Raleigh](https://www.collegesref.com/college/north-carolina-state-university-at-raleigh-1884) | Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians | $60,183 | $66,491 | not reported |

## Related careers

- [Recycling and Reclamation Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/recycling-and-reclamation-workers): $40,240 median pay
- [Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/water-and-wastewater-treatment-plant-and-system-operators): $60,020 median pay
- [Highway Maintenance Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/highway-maintenance-workers): $50,260 median pay
- [Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/septic-tank-servicers-and-sewer-pipe-cleaners): $49,880 median pay
- [Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/refuse-and-recyclable-material-collectors): $49,690 median pay
- [Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/insulation-workers-floor-ceiling-and-wall): $49,120 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.