Construction and Extraction
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.
Also called: Abatement Worker, Asbestos Abatement Worker, Asbestos Worker, Clandestine Laboratory Responder (Clan Lab Responder), D and D Operator (Decontaminate and Decommissioning Operator), D and D Operator (Decontamination and Decommissioning Operator)
- Median pay in Greater Boston
- $49,930
- $24.00/hr
- Jobs in Greater Boston
- 1,980
- Massachusetts 2024–2034
- +0.9%
- 240 openings a year
- Typical U.S. entry requirement
- High school diploma or equivalent
- plus Moderate-term on-the-job training
Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.
Pay range in Greater Boston
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $47,840 | $47,890 | $49,930 | $56,250 | $71,500 |
10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.
What you’d do
- Remove asbestos or lead from surfaces, using hand or power tools such as scrapers, vacuums, or high-pressure sprayers.
- Build containment areas prior to beginning abatement or decontamination work.
- Prepare hazardous material for removal or storage.
- 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.
- Clean contaminated equipment or areas for reuse, using detergents or solvents, sandblasters, filter pumps, or steam cleaners.
AI and this job
AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.
Lower exposure20 of 100
The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:
- AIOE 27
- Language-model AIOE 25
- GPTs-are-GPTs 9
Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)
AI exposure for hazardous materials removal workers is lower, and observed AI use is little or none. AI tools may help with the paperwork side, such as recording waste containers and keeping track of safety and disposal rules. Removing asbestos or lead, building containment areas, and preparing materials for removal are hands-on, safety-critical tasks that rely on people.
Likely to change
- Recording containers and waste amounts
- Tracking safety and disposal paperwork
Still relies on people
- Removing asbestos or lead by hand
- Building containment areas safely on site
Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.
Next steps from here
Related jobs that build on what you already do.
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
Your safety training and habit of avoiding hazards carry over. Equipment operators earn a Boston median of $76,940 with on-the-job training.
- Pay difference
- +$27,010 median
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +6.3%
- To get started
- High school diploma or equivalent
Carpenters
Building containment areas is close to carpentry, and safety rules matter in both. Carpenters earn a Boston median of $75,210 through an apprenticeship.
- Pay difference
- +$25,280 median
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +6.3%
- To get started
- High school diploma or equivalent
Construction Laborers
You already use hand and power tools on job sites. Laborers have 9.5% projected Massachusetts growth and need no formal credential.
- Pay difference
- +$13,490 median
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +9.5%
- To get started
- No formal educational credential
Training near Boston
College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).
No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.
Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.
Who employs hazardous materials removal workers on Boston construction projects
Hours worked on projects covered by the Boston Residents Jobs Policy over the last 24 months. This shows who has employed hazardous materials removal workers, not who has openings.
76,568 worker hours from Oct 20, 2024 to Oct 19, 2026 (trades: Asbestos Worker).
- 11.9%
- of hours by boston residents
- 90.0%
- of hours by people of color
- 11.0%
- of hours by women
| Employer | Worker hours | Boston resident share | Projects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northstar Contracting Group, Inc. | 57,529 | 13.9% | 1 |
| Karma Environmental | 5,358 | 5.4% | 3 |
| Ng Environmental Contractors | 4,201 | 9.7% | 1 |
| North Star Contracting Group | 4,188 | 1.7% | 1 |
| Unified Contruction Group,Llc. | 2,348 | 5.5% | 2 |
| A&D Environmental Specialist LLC | 1,284 | 0.0% | 1 |
| Banner Environmental Services, Inc. | 1,068 | 16.9% | 2 |
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Talk to a career coach
A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.
Talk to a career coach