Hazardous Materials Removal Workers
SOC 47-4041 · 2024-2034
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.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
What California expects of this job
- Typical pay in California
- $57,640per year
- Projected openings
- 7,870
- Projected change
- +8.2%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Monitoring
- Critical Thinking
- Operation and Control
- Active Listening
- Operations Monitoring
- Speaking
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) | $69,206 | 280 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) | $66,900 | 380 |
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $62,290 | 1,180 |
| Salinas MSA (Monterey County) | $60,981 | 70 |
| San Rafael MD (Marin County) | $60,662 | 40 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $59,540 | 530 |
| Vallejo MSA (Solano County) | $58,892 | 190 |
| Fresno MSA (Fresno and Madera Counties) | $55,999 | 230 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County) | $54,383 | 180 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $54,187 | 780 |
| Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County) | $53,343 | 140 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $51,784 | 2,220 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $51,274 | 510 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA (Santa Barbara County) | $51,048 | 130 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $49,449 | 950 |
What the pay actually ranges across
- The lowest-paid tenth earn under
- $42,789
- A quarter earn under
- $48,458
- Half earn under
- $57,640
- Three quarters earn under
- $69,370
- The highest-paid tenth earn over
- $87,785
A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| Occupation | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | $45,689 | 502,850 | +8.6% |
| Highway Maintenance Workers | $61,194 | 6,590 | +4.9% |
| Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators | $83,636 | 10,010 | -2.6% |
| Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners | $56,716 | 3,350 | +15.6% |
| Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors | $66,310 | 16,790 | +3.5% |
| Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall | $50,163 | 2,690 | +3.1% |