Hazardous Materials Removal Workers
Also called: Abatement Worker, Asbestos Abatement Worker, Asbestos Worker, Hazmat Technician (Hazardous Materials Technician)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.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 2 of its 19 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 1.5% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 3.4% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.9 hires for every 10 job openings in professional and business services, which employs about 89% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.9 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $38,610 | $37,040 to $44,520 | 350 |
| Alaska | $60,320 | $50,640 to $74,330 | 140 |
| Arizona | $50,530 | $45,430 to $51,220 | 800 |
| Arkansas | $36,630 | $35,830 to $45,730 | 440 |
| California | $56,120 | $47,180 to $67,540 | 7,340 |
| Colorado | $59,920 | $47,440 to $64,370 | 1,400 |
| Connecticut | $47,090 | $41,010 to $57,330 | 750 |
| Delaware | $44,250 | $32,000 to $48,120 | not published |
| District of Columbia | $60,240 | $55,140 to $68,390 | 50 |
| Florida | $42,350 | $38,320 to $50,310 | 1,780 |
| Georgia | $48,960 | $39,860 to $54,660 | 460 |
| Guam | not published | not published | 30 |
| Hawaii | $58,440 | $47,700 to $62,250 | 340 |
| Idaho | $49,710 | $46,270 to $103,850 | 600 |
| Illinois | $61,330 | $49,530 to $75,880 | 1,980 |
| Indiana | $46,680 | $43,530 to $55,690 | 990 |
| Iowa | $49,870 | $41,160 to $57,490 | 270 |
| Kansas | $45,530 | $39,330 to $50,560 | 480 |
| Kentucky | $47,640 | $45,540 to $60,290 | 460 |
| Louisiana | $38,000 | $36,950 to $42,710 | 880 |
| Maine | $47,280 | $42,990 to $60,990 | 190 |
| Maryland | $48,640 | $46,730 to $56,360 | 660 |
| Massachusetts | $49,620 | $47,890 to $55,990 | 2,770 |
| Michigan | $46,380 | $40,890 to $55,440 | 1,610 |
| Minnesota | $59,100 | $47,660 to $80,700 | 730 |
| Mississippi | $39,440 | $37,600 to $45,450 | 250 |
| Missouri | $59,120 | $41,590 to $67,840 | 370 |
| Montana | $54,540 | $49,870 to $57,260 | 250 |
| Nebraska | $48,540 | $41,030 to $55,760 | 210 |
| Nevada | $47,520 | $42,210 to $59,750 | 400 |
| New Hampshire | $55,310 | $47,840 to $96,150 | 140 |
| New Jersey | $55,900 | $46,790 to $76,020 | 2,250 |
| New Mexico | $53,440 | $46,170 to $55,500 | 680 |
| New York | $73,090 | $55,570 to $85,450 | 4,090 |
| North Carolina | $43,180 | $39,160 to $47,320 | 1,250 |
| North Dakota | $60,160 | $38,720 to $63,960 | 170 |
| Ohio | $46,620 | $44,220 to $58,800 | 830 |
| Oklahoma | $44,300 | $39,710 to $45,390 | 650 |
| Oregon | $49,720 | $46,940 to $57,920 | 1,130 |
| Pennsylvania | $47,860 | $44,520 to $59,520 | 1,590 |
| Puerto Rico | $28,220 | $26,520 to $34,680 | 180 |
| Rhode Island | $46,670 | $42,870 to $72,800 | 330 |
| South Carolina | $49,170 | $45,320 to $65,360 | 870 |
| South Dakota | $51,420 | $49,480 to $55,050 | 190 |
| Tennessee | $60,090 | $46,440 to $75,400 | 570 |
| Texas | $44,390 | $40,650 to $48,160 | 4,450 |
| Utah | $49,240 | $46,600 to $57,780 | 530 |
| Vermont | $46,780 | $46,220 to $50,940 | 70 |
| Virginia | $45,320 | $39,330 to $49,490 | 930 |
| Washington | $60,160 | $49,010 to $78,990 | 3,250 |
| West Virginia | $46,390 | $42,990 to $51,790 | 130 |
| Wisconsin | $47,750 | $45,330 to $61,190 | 590 |
| Wyoming | $48,570 | $46,900 to $55,470 | 30 |
Nationally: $49,450. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 2 of its 19 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Prepare hazardous material for removal or storage. | Not published |
| Not much | Comply with prescribed safety procedures or federal laws regulating waste disposal methods. | Not published |
| Not much | Build containment areas prior to beginning abatement or decontamination work. | Not published |
| Not much | Remove asbestos or lead from surfaces, using hand or power tools such as scrapers, vacuums, or high-pressure sprayers. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean contaminated equipment or areas for reuse, using detergents or solvents, sandblasters, filter pumps, or steam cleaners. | Not published |
| AI + software | Record numbers of containers stored at disposal sites, specifying amounts or types of equipment or waste disposed. | Not published |
See all 19 tasks
| Not much | Operate machines or equipment to remove, package, store, or transport loads of waste materials. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean mold-contaminated sites by removing damaged porous materials or thoroughly cleaning all contaminated nonporous materials. | Not published |
| Not much | Load or unload materials into containers or onto trucks, using hoists or forklifts. | Not published |
| Not much | Identify asbestos, lead, or other hazardous materials to be removed, using monitoring devices. | Not published |
| Not much | Sort specialized hazardous waste at landfills or disposal centers, following proper disposal procedures. | Not published |
| Not much | Remove or limit contamination following emergencies involving hazardous substances. | Not published |
| Not much | Drive trucks or other heavy equipment to convey contaminated waste to designated sea or ground locations. | Not published |
| Not much | Process e-waste, such as computer components containing lead or mercury. | Not published |
| Not much | Identify or separate waste products or materials for recycling or reuse. | Not published |
| Not much | Organize or track the locations of hazardous items in landfills. | Not published |
| AI + software | Apply bioremediation techniques to hazardous wastes to allow naturally occurring bacteria to break down toxic substances. | Not published |
| Not much | Operate cranes to move or load baskets, casks, or canisters. | Not published |
| Not much | Mix or pour concrete into forms to encase waste material for disposal. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 19 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 19 tasks fall under 11 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #17 Implement procedures or processes
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prepare industrial materials for processing or use | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Operate lifting or moving equipment | |||
| Implement procedures or processes | |||
| Prepare mixtures or solutions | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Inspect facilities or equipment | |||
| Build structures |
Show all 11 activities
| Perform general construction or extraction activities | |||
| Operate transportation equipment or vehicles | |||
| Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for hazardous materials removal workers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 7,701 moves out
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 10%
- 2 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 4%
- 3 Occupational Health and Safety Specialists High +18.5% 3%
- 4 Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers High +3.5% 2%
- 5 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 2%
Where people moved in from
of 7,779 moves in
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 7%
- 2 Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators Low +1.5% 5%
- 3 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 3%
- 4 Firefighters Low +3.7% 3%
- 5 Operations Research Analysts Very high +11.9% 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 6% less than high school
- 48% high school
- 22% some college
- 10% associate's
- 11% bachelor's
- 2% master's
- 1% professional degree
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 265 people surveyed.
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
1 program: Hazardous Materials Management and Waste Technology/Technician.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/47-4041.00