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Asbestos worker vs hazardous material specialist

The differences between asbestos workers and hazardous material specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an asbestos worker and a hazardous material specialist. Additionally, a hazardous material specialist has an average salary of $61,373, which is higher than the $46,765 average annual salary of an asbestos worker.

The top three skills for an asbestos worker include demolition, asbestos removal and safety procedures. The most important skills for a hazardous material specialist are environmental health, OSHA, and DOT.

Asbestos worker vs hazardous material specialist overview

Asbestos WorkerHazardous Material Specialist
Yearly salary$46,765$61,373
Hourly rate$22.48$29.51
Growth rate--
Number of jobs19,47319,535
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age4343
Years of experience22

Asbestos worker vs hazardous material specialist salary

Asbestos workers and hazardous material specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Asbestos WorkerHazardous Material Specialist
Average salary$46,765$61,373
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $84,000Between $45,000 And $83,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between asbestos worker and hazardous material specialist education

There are a few differences between an asbestos worker and a hazardous material specialist in terms of educational background:

Asbestos WorkerHazardous Material Specialist
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Asbestos worker vs hazardous material specialist demographics

Here are the differences between asbestos workers' and hazardous material specialists' demographics:

Asbestos WorkerHazardous Material Specialist
Average age4343
Gender ratioMale, 91.3% Female, 8.7%Male, 75.6% Female, 24.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 3.1% Hispanic or Latino, 26.8% Asian, 2.0% White, 54.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.9%Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 3.1% Hispanic or Latino, 26.9% Asian, 2.3% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 3.2%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between asbestos worker and hazardous material specialist duties and responsibilities

Asbestos worker example responsibilities.

  • Correspond with EPA personnel to maintain air quality and comply with regulations in and around work environment.
  • Used rakes and shovels to clear dirt from around tree roots, walkways, shrubs, etc.
  • Bag all trash in acm bags.
  • Adhere to all rules & policies by OSHA & contractors.
  • Remove & abate hazardous material with conformance to OSHA rules.
  • Remove ACM in all various places in all various applications.
  • Show more

Hazardous material specialist example responsibilities.

  • Manage EPA compliance and documentation and insure safe handling of all hazardous waste and proper disposal of all volatile organic compounds.
  • Develop and manage explosive inspection and quality assurance processes and provide SME guidance for management of hazardous and non-hazardous material storage.
  • Classify hazardous materials under 49 CFR, IATA, IMDG, and TDG.
  • Review chemical containing products for OSHA regulatory compliance before sale at the retailer
  • Maintain MSDS log book for all materials on hand.
  • Perform and supervise the cleanup effort of 13 HAZMAT spills.
  • Show more

Asbestos worker vs hazardous material specialist skills

Common asbestos worker skills
  • Demolition, 17%
  • Asbestos Removal, 13%
  • Safety Procedures, 9%
  • OSHA, 9%
  • Hazardous Materials, 7%
  • Asbestos Abatement, 7%
Common hazardous material specialist skills
  • Environmental Health, 10%
  • OSHA, 9%
  • DOT, 8%
  • Emergency Response, 8%
  • Safety Procedures, 7%
  • Public Health, 6%

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