Hazardous Materials Removal Workers
Asbestos Abatement Worker, Asbestos Remover, Asbestos Worker, Waste Handling Technician
What they do:
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.
On the job, you would:
- 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.
- Identify asbestos, lead, or other hazardous materials to be removed, using monitoring devices.
Knowledge
Safety and Government
- public safety and security
Business
- management
- customer service
Transportation
- movement of people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road
Engineering and Technology
- building and construction
Skills
Basic Skills
- keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements
- thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem
Problem Solving
- noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
Abilities
Verbal
- listen and understand what people say
- communicate by speaking
Ideas and Logic
- notice when problems happen
- group things in different ways
Hand and Finger Use
- keep your arm or hand steady
- hold or move items with your hands
Controlled Movement
- quickly change the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat
Personality
People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.
They do well at jobs that need:
- Cooperation
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Self Control
- Adaptability/Flexibility
- Integrity
Technology
You might use software like this on the job:
Spreadsheet software
- Microsoft Excel
Presentation software
- Microsoft PowerPoint
Data base user interface and query software
- Database software
- Xactware Xactimate
Education
Education: (rated 3 of 5)
no high school diploma/GED or
high school diploma/GED
usually needed
high school diploma/GED
usually needed
Job Outlook
Below Average
New job opportunities are less likely in the future.
Explore More
- Highway Maintenance Workers
- Recycling & Reclamation Workers
- Refuse & Recyclable Material Collectors
- Septic Tank Servicers & Sewer Pipe Cleaners
- Water & Wastewater Treatment Plant & System Operators
You might like a career in one of these industries:
See more details at O*NET OnLine about hazardous materials removal workers.