Hazardous Materials Removal Workers
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.
51,710 people do this job in the US. $49,450 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 3%
- 0%
- 97%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 3%. Today's estimate: 3%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 19 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Remove asbestos or lead from surfaces, using hand or power tools such as scrapers, vacuums, or high-pressure sprayers.Done daily by most who do it. | 18% | 3.3 h50 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Remove or limit contamination following emergencies involving hazardous substances.Done daily by most who do it. | 13% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 1.7 work days | Stays with people | |
| Clean contaminated equipment or areas for reuse, using detergents or solvents, sandblasters, filter pumps, or steam cleaners.Done daily by most who do it. | 11% | 3.3 h50 min to 5.8 h | Stays with people | |
| Build containment areas prior to beginning abatement or decontamination work.Done daily by most who do it. | 11% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Prepare hazardous material for removal or storage.Done daily by most who do it. | 9% | 1.7 h25 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Clean mold-contaminated sites by removing damaged porous materials or thoroughly cleaning all contaminated nonporous materials.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 8% | 5 h1.7 h to 1 work day | Stays with people | |
| Drive trucks or other heavy equipment to convey contaminated waste to designated sea or ground locations.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 3.3 h50 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Comply with prescribed safety procedures or federal laws regulating waste disposal methods.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 50 min13 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Operate machines or equipment to remove, package, store, or transport loads of waste materials.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 1.7 h25 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Identify asbestos, lead, or other hazardous materials to be removed, using monitoring devices.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 1.1 h25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Sort specialized hazardous waste at landfills or disposal centers, following proper disposal procedures.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 3% | 1.7 h38 min to 5 h | Stays with people | |
| Organize or track the locations of hazardous items in landfills.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 2% | 50 min25 min to 2.5 h | 95%Half by now |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Recycling and Reclamation Workers1% now, 1% by 2028
- Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators11% now, 11% by 2028
- Highway Maintenance Workers0% now, 0% by 2028
- Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners6% now, 6% by 2028
- Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors6% now, 6% by 2028
- Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall2% now, 2% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).