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The differences between hazardous material specialists and asbestos handlers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a hazardous material specialist and an asbestos handler. Additionally, a hazardous material specialist has an average salary of $61,373, which is higher than the $47,412 average annual salary of an asbestos handler.
The top three skills for a hazardous material specialist include environmental health, OSHA and DOT. The most important skills for an asbestos handler are OSHA, site safety, and demolition.
Hazardous material specialists and asbestos handlers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Hazardous Material Specialist | Asbestos Handler | |
| Average salary | $61,373 | $47,412 |
| Salary range | Between $45,000 And $83,000 | Between $25,000 And $87,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | - | Alaska |
| Best paying company | - | - |
| Best paying industry | - | Utilities |
There are a few differences between a hazardous material specialist and an asbestos handler in terms of educational background:
| Hazardous Material Specialist | Asbestos Handler | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | High School Diploma, 33% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between hazardous material specialists' and asbestos handlers' demographics:
| Hazardous Material Specialist | Asbestos Handler | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.6% Female, 24.4% | Male, 96.1% Female, 3.9% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 3.2% Hispanic or Latino, 32.2% Asian, 2.4% White, 48.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 3.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |