Environmental laboratory technician vs technician

The differences between environmental laboratory technicians and technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an environmental laboratory technician and a technician. Additionally, an environmental laboratory technician has an average salary of $40,682, which is higher than the $38,045 average annual salary of a technician.

The top three skills for an environmental laboratory technician include lab equipment, water samples and sops. The most important skills for a technician are patients, customer service, and patient care.

Environmental laboratory technician vs technician overview

	Environmental Laboratory Technician	Technician
Yearly salary	$40,682	$38,045
Hourly rate	$19.56	$18.29
Growth rate	9%	1%
Number of jobs	58,055	596,842
Job satisfaction	-	2
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Average age	38	40
Years of experience	2	2

What does an environmental laboratory technician do?

Environmental laboratory technicians are professionals who are responsible for testing all contaminants that may affect the environment and the health of both humans and wildlife. These technicians are required to prepare and test samples such as gases, soils, water, and industrial wastewater to determine the level of pollutants or identify the sources of contamination. They must discuss and report the summary of the data from test results with supervisors and customers. Environmental laboratory technicians must also design monitoring programs and set up equipment when working in the field.

What does a technician do?

Technicians are skilled professionals who primarily work with technology in different industries. They are knowledgeable about the technical aspects of the various items they work with. They are usually working with electricity or with technological advancements. Technicians may be assigned to do the construction of equipment or materials related to their field of study. They may also be assigned to conduct diagnostics and other maintenance activities to ensure that the equipment works properly. Technicians may also be required to conduct basic repairs in case of problems. It is important that technicians have good analytical skills and decision-making skills.

Environmental laboratory technician vs technician salary

Environmental laboratory technicians and technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Environmental Laboratory Technician	Technician
Average salary	$40,682	$38,045
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $56,000	Between $24,000 And $58,000
Highest paying City	-	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Microsoft
Best paying industry	-	Telecommunication

Differences between environmental laboratory technician and technician education

There are a few differences between an environmental laboratory technician and a technician in terms of educational background:

	Environmental Laboratory Technician	Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Most common major	Biology	Business
Most common college	University of California, Berkeley	-

Environmental laboratory technician vs technician demographics

Here are the differences between environmental laboratory technicians' and technicians' demographics:

	Environmental Laboratory Technician	Technician
Average age	38	40
Gender ratio	Male, 60.9% Female, 39.1%	Male, 75.2% Female, 24.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 10.5% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 4.9% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	2%

Differences between environmental laboratory technician and technician duties and responsibilities

Environmental laboratory technician example responsibilities.

Manage daily RCRA inspections and mechanical, electrical, and electronic equipment preventive/corrective maintenance procedures.
Support short and long term projects meeting establish deadlines such as the upcoming revisions to the USP heavy metals testing.
Initiate and maintain paperwork in accordance with FDA guidelines and perform investigations for any deviant results.
Perform internal audits of laboratories in accordance with current standard operating procedure of good laboratory practices and FDA regulations.
Assist HAZWOPER technicians with logistical support for operations on project operations including research of facilities and vendors need for project completion.
Monitor temperature and pressure of production distillation towers

Technician example responsibilities.

Achieve multiple ASE certifications within first year of employment.
Implement and manage UHF radio base stations, repeaters, and command network, effectively linking all regional headquarters.
Manage telecommunications installation and repair for hospital Nortel network.
Maintain numerous automate scripts to assist in managing Linux systems.
Manage, troubleshot and repair multiple wireless technologies including fiber optic transmission switches.
Install peripherals including printers, fax machines, scanners, and smartphones.

Environmental laboratory technician vs technician skills

Common environmental laboratory technician skills

Lab Equipment, 9%
Water Samples, 8%
Sops, 6%
Environmental Samples, 6%
Test Equipment, 5%
Environmental Lab, 4%

Common technician skills

Patients, 16%
Customer Service, 14%
Patient Care, 8%
Hand Tools, 6%
Diagnosis, 5%
Preventative Maintenance, 4%

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Environmental Laboratory Technician
Environmental Laboratory Technician vs Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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