How To Become A Hazmat Technician: What It Is and Career Path

What is a hazmat technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average hazmat technician salary is $40,096. The most common degree is a high school diploma degree with an business major. It usually takes 1-2 years of experience to become a hazmat technician. Hazmat technicians with a Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 9% and produce 3,200 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreHazmat TechnicianUS Average

Salary

3.1

Avg. Salary $40,096

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.4

Growth rate 9%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.98%

Asian 10.50%

Black or African American 9.45%

Hispanic or Latino 16.72%

Unknown 5.70%

White 56.64%

Gender

female 10.66%

male 89.34%

Age - 35

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 - 35

Stress level

6.4

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.8

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a hazmat technician

Explore hazmat technician education requirements

Most common hazmat technician degrees

High School Diploma

30.8 %

Bachelor's

25.7 %

Associate

23.6 %

Start to develop specific hazmat technician skills

Skills	Percentages
Safety Procedures	13.92%
Emergency Response	11.88%
OSHA	9.12%
Industrial Cleaning	8.18%
Space Entry	8.16%

Complete relevant hazmat technician training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New hazmat technicians 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 hazmat technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real hazmat technician resumes.

Research hazmat technician duties and responsibilities

Manage daily RCRA inspections and mechanical, electrical, and electronic equipment preventive/corrective maintenance procedures.
Can conduct remediation at hazwoper sites.
Re-Cover residue material for disposal are done in accordance to EPA guidelines.
Complete complex governmental paperwork require by FAA, EPA, on say incidents.

Prepare your hazmat technician resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your hazmat technician 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 hazmat technician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable hazmat technician resume templates

Build a professional hazmat technician 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 hazmat technician resume.

Apply for hazmat technician jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a hazmat technician job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do hazmat technicians rate their job?

3/5

Out of 1 Hazmat Technician reviews, 0% were positive.

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Based on 1 ratings

Work/life balance

2.0

Overall rating

3.0

Pay / salary

3.0

Career growth

3.0

Hazmat technician reviews

3.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2024

Pros

The work is exciting and it is extremely rewarding to know that you are having such a big impact on the environment. You truly believe you are saving the world.

Cons

The work wears you down physically and mentally. After working on so many spills that are clearly the fault carelessness and disregard for fault of a careless person or organization. Leaves little hope for the future of our planet.