Hazardous Waste Management Technicians
Overview
Introduction
Hazardous waste management technicians are part of a team that identifies hazardous waste sites and remediates, or cleans up, any waste present. In many cases, they assist hazardous waste management specialists, who are more highly educated and tend to work on long-term planning and strategy. Technicians do on-site work like taking samples of contaminated soil or water; some work on emergency response teams that handle sites immediately after accidents involving hazardous waste. These technicians also do a lot of laboratory work, te...
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
Salaries vary according to position, years of experience, geographic location, and educational background. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, hazardous materials removal workers had median hourly earnings of $22.73 ($47,280 annually) in May 2023. Wages ranged from less than $17.09 an hour ($35,550 annually) to more than $39.24 ($81,610 annually) for full-time work. Fifty percent of haza...
Work Environment
Because of the danger associated with chemical and other types of hazardous waste, technicians must approach potential waste sites with extreme caution. Protective gear is often necessary and can be bulky, interfering with the work. The regulations that control hazardous waste management are complex and increasingly demanding and can slow remediation projects to a frustrating crawl.
Depe...
Outlook
Job opportunities for hazardous waste management technicians are expected to grow more slowly than the average for all careers from 2023 through 2033, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Despite this prediction, there is still strong need for technicians to help clean up Superfund sites and provide hazardous waste removal services to companies and other organizations. Employment will be ...
