Occupation Profile

Hazardous Materials Removal Workers

(SOC Code : 47-4041)

in California

Identify, remove, pack, transport, or dispose of hazardous materials, including asbestos, lead-based paint, waste oil, fuel, transmission fluid, radioactive materials, contaminated soil, etc. Specialized training and certification in hazardous materials handling or a confined entry permit are generally required. May operate earth-moving equipment or trucks.

Employers usually expect an employee in this occupation to be able to do the job after Moderate-term on-the-job training (1-12 months) .

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Occupational Wages

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Area	Year	Period	Hourly Mean	Hourly by Percentile
				25th	Median	75th
California	2012	1st Qtr	$20.39	$15.94	$19.36	$23.19

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Occupational Projections of Employment (also called "Outlook" or "Demand")

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Area	Estimated Year-Projected Year	Employment		Employment Change		Annual Avg Openings
		Estimated	Projected	Number	Percent
California	2010 - 2020	4,300	5,100	800	18.6	190

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Job Openings from JobCentral National Labor Exchange

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Enter a Zip Code Find a Zip code in California

Within miles of Zip Code.

Possible Licenses Required and Issuing Authority

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License Title

License Authority

Hazardous Substance Removal and Remedial Actions Certification

Department of Consumer Affairs
Contractors State License Board
License Information Center
www.cslb.ca.gov

Asbestos Certification

Department of Consumer Affairs
Contractors State License Board
License Information Center
www.cslb.ca.gov

About Licenses

Industries Employing This Occupation (click on Industry Title to View Employers List)

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Industry Title

Number of Employers in State of California

Percent of Total
Employment for Occupation in State of California

Waste Management and Remediation Service

3,463

88.6%

Other Specialty Trade Contractors

14,281

1.4%

About Staffing Patterns

Training Programs (click on title for more information)

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Program Title

Hazardous Materials Management & Waste Technology/Technician

About Training & Apprenticeships

About This Occupation (from O*NET - The Occupation Information Network)

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Top Tasks (Specific duties and responsibilities of this job.)

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.

Drive trucks or other heavy equipment to convey contaminated waste to designated sea or ground locations.

Operate machines or equipment to remove, package, store, or transport loads of waste materials.

Load or unload materials into containers or onto trucks, using hoists or forklifts.

Clean contaminated equipment or areas for re-use, using detergents or solvents, sandblasters, filter pumps, or steam cleaners.

Construct scaffolding or build containment areas prior to beginning abatement or decontamination work.

Remove asbestos or lead from surfaces, using hand or power tools such as scrapers, vacuums, or high-pressure sprayers.

Upload baskets of irradiated elements onto machines that insert fuel elements into canisters and secure lids.

Apply chemical compounds to lead-based paint, allow compounds to dry, then scrape the hazardous material into containers for removal and/or storage.

More Tasks for Hazardous Materials Removal Workers

Top Skills used in this Job

Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others` actions.

Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others` reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Time Management - Managing one`s own time and the time of others.

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Top Abilities (Attributes of the person that influence performance in this job.)

Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.

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Top Work Values (Aspects of this job that create satisfaction.)

Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees.

Independence - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions.

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Top Interests (The types of activities someone in this job would like.)

Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

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Alternate Titles

Hazardous Waste Removers; Hazard Waste Handlers; HazMat Workers; Remediation Workers