How To Become A Hazardous Materials Handler: What It Is and Career Path

What is a hazardous materials handler and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a hazardous materials handler. For example, did you know that they make an average of $15.77 an hour? That's $32,796 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 358,300 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreHazardous Materials HandlerUS Average

Salary

2.6

Avg. Salary $32,796

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.4

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.26%

Asian 5.32%

Black or African American 14.15%

Hispanic or Latino 19.43%

Unknown 5.61%

White 54.24%

Gender

female 11.45%

male 88.55%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

6.4

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.7

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.4

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a hazardous materials handler

Explore hazardous materials handler education requirements

Most common hazardous materials handler degrees

High School Diploma

39.4 %

Bachelor's

26.3 %

Associate

22.6 %

Start to develop specific hazardous materials handler skills

Skills	Percentages
Hazardous Waste	16.00%
Non Hazardous Materials	15.84%
DOT	15.52%
Safety Procedures	13.31%
Hazmat	6.64%

Complete relevant hazardous materials handler training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New hazardous materials handlers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a hazardous materials handler based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real hazardous materials handler resumes.

Research hazardous materials handler duties and responsibilities

Manage the logistics of incoming and outgoing shipments
Assess HAZMAT training needs and ensure training for all HAZMAT representatives.
Establish and maintain procedures for receiving, handling, and shipping of HAZMAT.
Distribute production materials to designate locations on assembly lines observing the first-in-first-out (FIFO) inventory control practice.

Get hazardous materials handler experience

Prepare your hazardous materials handler resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your hazardous materials handler resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a hazardous materials handler resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable hazardous materials handler resume templates

Build a professional hazardous materials handler resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your hazardous materials handler resume.