Hazardous materials removal workers
SOC Code: 47-4041
Hazardous materials removal workers carries a 36% AI exposure score (Medium automation risk), with a median annual wage of $48,490 and +1.0% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 51,300 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 36% AI exposure, Hazardous materials removal workers sits 1 points below the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 58% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
37/100
Hazardous materials removal workers, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage F $48,490
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth F +1.0%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) D 36% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Hazardous materials removal workers in the Medium band.
Credential × growth standing
Open entry with non-declining BLS pace
Hazardous materials removal workers keeps an HS / some college bar (333 of 832) and sits in Slow growth (245 of 832). Lower formal gates with a non-shrinking employment line - skill and AI desks matter more than credentials here.
Where Hazardous materials removal workers sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Hazardous materials removal workers sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
36% Around the middle lower than 42% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Hazardous materials removal workers vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Hazardous materials removal workers is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Hazardous materials removal workers's Medium automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score below 40% reflects tasks anchored in physical dexterity, unstructured environments, or high-touch human interaction that current AI cannot reliably replicate.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 47-4041) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Hazardous materials removal workers be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Hazardous materials removal workers. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Build containment areas prior to beginning abatement or decontamination work.
- 2. Remove asbestos or lead from surfaces, using hand or power tools such as scrapers, vacuums, or high-pressure sprayers.
- 3. Identify asbestos, lead, or other hazardous materials to be removed, using monitoring devices.
- 4. Prepare hazardous material for removal or storage.
- 5. Comply with prescribed safety procedures or federal laws regulating waste disposal methods.
- 6. Record numbers of containers stored at disposal sites, specifying amounts or types of equipment or waste disposed.
- 7. Sort specialized hazardous waste at landfills or disposal centers, following proper disposal procedures.
- 8. Operate cranes to move or load baskets, casks, or canisters.
- 9. Drive trucks or other heavy equipment to convey contaminated waste to designated sea or ground locations.
- 10. Load or unload materials into containers or onto trucks, using hoists or forklifts.
Key Skills Required
- Monitoring
- Critical Thinking
- Operation and Control
- Active Listening
- Operations Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Writing
- Active Learning
- Social Perceptiveness
Knowledge Areas
- Public Safety and Security
- Administration and Management
- Transportation
- Customer and Personal Service
- Building and Construction
- Mechanical
- English Language
- Mathematics
- Administrative
- Chemistry
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Hazardous materials removal workers?
Hazardous materials removal workers has an AI exposure score of 36%, indicating a medium level of automation risk. The majority of tasks in this role require human judgment, creativity, or physical presence that AI cannot easily replicate.
What is the job outlook for Hazardous materials removal workers?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Hazardous materials removal workers is projected to grow by 1.0% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 51,300 workers.
What skills are needed for Hazardous materials removal workers?
Key skills for Hazardous materials removal workers include Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Operation and Control, and others. Typical entry-level education is High school diploma or equivalent.
How much do Hazardous materials removal workers earn?
The median annual wage for Hazardous materials removal workers is $48,490, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Hazardous materials removal workers?
The typical entry-level education for Hazardous materials removal workers is High school diploma or equivalent. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves Moderate-term on-the-job training. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Hazardous materials removal workers?
Hazardous materials removal workers roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
Medium automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. Most tasks require human judgment and are resistant to automation.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Hazardous materials removal workers: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (36% here).
- Agricultural technicians · AI exposure 36%
- Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers · AI exposure 36%
- Bioengineers and biomedical engineers · AI exposure 36%
- Cardiologists · AI exposure 36%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+1.0% here).
- Adhesive bonding machine operators and tenders · growth +1.0%
- Budget analysts · growth +1.0%
- Butchers and meat cutters · growth +1.0%
- Clergy · growth +1.0%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 43 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Hazardous materials removal workers' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Hazardous materials removal workers side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).