Decontamination technician vs cleaner

The differences between decontamination technicians and cleaners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a decontamination technician has an average salary of $44,291, which is higher than the $28,075 average annual salary of a cleaner.

The top three skills for a decontamination technician include papr, safety procedures and PPE. The most important skills for a cleaner are commercial cleaning, building floors, and ventilation.

Decontamination technician vs cleaner overview

	Decontamination Technician	Cleaner
Yearly salary	$44,291	$28,075
Hourly rate	$21.29	$13.50
Growth rate	9%	4%
Number of jobs	28,108	74,355
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	High School Diploma, 51%
Average age	38	49
Years of experience	2	-

Decontamination technician vs cleaner salary

Decontamination technicians and cleaners have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Decontamination Technician	Cleaner
Average salary	$44,291	$28,075
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $69,000	Between $21,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City	Newton, MA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	New York	Washington
Best paying company	Battelle	Columbia University in the City of New York
Best paying industry	Energy	Education

Differences between decontamination technician and cleaner education

There are a few differences between a decontamination technician and a cleaner in terms of educational background:

	Decontamination Technician	Cleaner
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	High School Diploma, 51%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Decontamination technician vs cleaner demographics

Here are the differences between decontamination technicians' and cleaners' demographics:

	Decontamination Technician	Cleaner
Average age	38	49
Gender ratio	Male, 69.6% Female, 30.4%	Male, 49.7% Female, 50.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 8.9% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 5.0% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage	8%	5%

Differences between decontamination technician and cleaner duties and responsibilities

Decontamination technician example responsibilities.

Concrete crushing, demolition, and wrecking of commercial buildings, apartments, and homes.
Assign with ALARA for lead shielding projects.
Monitor NRC license compliance and support inspections.
Set up ladders, scaffolds and hoists.
Perform decontamination of a sand blast booth using a HEPA vacuum cleaner.
Design, maintain, install, and replace rectifiers and grind beds.

Cleaner example responsibilities.

Operate a forklift for logistic, to manage and relocate BMW's fixture material.
Remove snow from sidewalks, using snow blowers, and/or snow shovels, and spread snow melting chemicals.
Use of various equipment used for methods of cleaning areas in the school such sweepers and snow blowers.
Maintain church building and grounds by handling general maintenance including electrical and plumbing and providing custodial services
Complete weekly order for PPE.
Clean Toyota after trucks build.

Decontamination technician vs cleaner skills

Common decontamination technician skills

Papr, 14%
Safety Procedures, 13%
PPE, 12%
Hazardous Materials, 10%
Radioactive Waste, 7%
Hazardous Waste, 6%

Common cleaner skills

Commercial Cleaning, 8%
Building Floors, 8%
Ventilation, 8%
Cleanliness, 7%
Customer Service, 7%
Work Ethic, 6%

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Decontamination Technician
Decontamination Technician vs Cleaner

Updated January 8, 2025

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