Your work. Your records.
Hazardous Materials Worker Workplace Records
Hazardous materials removal work can involve site preparation, containment, removal, and packaging assignments. For an employment review, record the work you were assigned and the instructions you received. Do not collect materials or recreate hazardous conditions as evidence.
Call now(800) 800-5555Free initial case evaluation. Representation depends on work state and case eligibility. This guide explains record preparation; it does not determine whether a legal claim exists.
A record map for your role
What to organize first
Assignment history
List the site type, crew, and work stages assigned to you on the relevant dates.
Report history
Record the concern raised, recipient, date, and response using your own recollection and permitted records.
Collection boundaries
Use document descriptions instead of collecting hazardous material or restricted site evidence.
Start with the work you actually do
Identify, remove, pack, transport, or dispose of hazardous materials, including asbestos, lead-based paint, waste oil, fuel, transmission fluid, radioactive materials, or contaminated soil. Specialized training and certification in hazardous materials handling or a confined entry permit are generally required. May operate earth-moving equipment or trucks.
O*NET classifies this occupation as Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (47-4041.00). Its description covers a typical occupation, not every workplace or individual job. It does not establish employee status, overtime eligibility or employer misconduct.
- Remove asbestos or lead from surfaces, using hand or power tools such as scrapers, vacuums, or high-pressure sprayers.Source task 11591 · updated 08/2026
- Build containment areas prior to beginning abatement or decontamination work.Source task 20796 · updated 08/2026
- Prepare hazardous material for removal or storage.Source task 20797 · updated 08/2026
- Comply with prescribed safety procedures or federal laws regulating waste disposal methods.Source task 11584 · updated 08/2026
A reference point for your pay records
May 2025 wage estimates by state
Compare your pay records with published BLS estimates for Hazardous Materials Removal Workers (SOC 47-4041). These describe an occupation across employers. They are not a required pay rate, an overtime calculation, or evidence of discrimination or unpaid wages.
Select your work state to see its published pay range. No personal pay information is requested or sent.
The 25th and 75th percentiles mark the middle half of the estimated wage distribution; the median is its midpoint. Actual pay can differ with experience, employer, location and duties. Hourly and annual figures are shown as published, without converting one into the other.
All published state estimates for this occupation
| State | Hourly 25th | Hourly median | Hourly 75th | Annual median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $17.81 | $18.56 | $21.41 | $38,610 |
| Alaska | $24.34 | $29.00 | $35.74 | $60,320 |
| Arizona | $21.84 | $24.29 | $24.63 | $50,530 |
| Arkansas | $17.23 | $17.61 | $21.99 | $36,630 |
| Connecticut | $19.72 | $22.64 | $27.56 | $47,090 |
| Delaware | $15.39 | $21.28 | $23.14 | $44,250 |
| Florida | $18.42 | $20.36 | $24.19 | $42,350 |
| Georgia | $19.17 | $23.54 | $26.28 | $48,960 |
| Hawaii | $22.94 | $28.10 | $29.93 | $58,440 |
| Idaho | $22.24 | $23.90 | $49.93 | $49,710 |
| Indiana | $20.93 | $22.44 | $26.77 | $46,680 |
| Iowa | $19.79 | $23.98 | $27.64 | $49,870 |
| Kansas | $18.91 | $21.89 | $24.31 | $45,530 |
| Kentucky | $21.90 | $22.91 | $28.99 | $47,640 |
| Louisiana | $17.76 | $18.27 | $20.53 | $38,000 |
| Maine | $20.67 | $22.73 | $29.32 | $47,280 |
| Michigan | $19.66 | $22.30 | $26.65 | $46,380 |
| Minnesota | $22.91 | $28.41 | $38.80 | $59,100 |
| Mississippi | $18.08 | $18.96 | $21.85 | $39,440 |
| Missouri | $20.00 | $28.42 | $32.61 | $59,120 |
| Montana | $23.98 | $26.22 | $27.53 | $54,540 |
| Nebraska | $19.73 | $23.34 | $26.81 | $48,540 |
| New Hampshire | $23.00 | $26.59 | $46.23 | $55,310 |
| New Mexico | $22.20 | $25.69 | $26.68 | $53,440 |
| New York | $26.72 | $35.14 | $41.08 | $73,090 |
| North Carolina | $18.83 | $20.76 | $22.75 | $43,180 |
| North Dakota | $18.62 | $28.92 | $30.75 | $60,160 |
| Ohio | $21.26 | $22.41 | $28.27 | $46,620 |
| Oklahoma | $19.09 | $21.30 | $21.82 | $44,300 |
| Pennsylvania | $21.40 | $23.01 | $28.62 | $47,860 |
| Rhode Island | $20.61 | $22.44 | $35.00 | $46,670 |
| South Dakota | $23.79 | $24.72 | $26.47 | $51,420 |
| Tennessee | $22.33 | $28.89 | $36.25 | $60,090 |
| Texas | $19.54 | $21.34 | $23.15 | $44,390 |
| Utah | $22.40 | $23.67 | $27.78 | $49,240 |
| Vermont | $22.22 | $22.49 | $24.49 | $46,780 |
| Virginia | $18.91 | $21.79 | $23.79 | $45,320 |
| West Virginia | $20.67 | $22.30 | $24.90 | $46,390 |
| Wisconsin | $21.79 | $22.96 | $29.42 | $47,750 |
| Wyoming | $22.55 | $23.35 | $26.67 | $48,570 |
“Not published” preserves unavailable or suppressed source cells. “Above reporting limit” preserves a top-coded source value without inventing a number. A missing state estimate does not establish service eligibility. The data describe wage and salary employment; they do not measure self-employment income.
Source: BLS May 2025 state workbook · OEWS tables · BLS technical notes. Use your own schedule, pay statement and compensation terms to identify the question you want reviewed.
Describe the assignment and work stages
Note the site type, supervisor, and general task for the period involved. Distinguish preparation, removal support, packaging, and cleanup without including technical handling directions. Record changes to the crew or assigned duties and when you learned about them.
Organize training and concern reports
Keep your own training notices, assignment messages, and personal employment records where permitted. If equipment, instructions, or conditions are part of the concern, record what you observed, when you reported it, and the response. Mark uncertain dates as approximate.
Use records without creating exposure
Do not retain waste, contaminated clothing, samples, or restricted site photographs for a personal evidence collection. Identify where authorized inspection, training, or assignment records are held. Keep medical information separate from a general work chronology and limit any employment summary to the facts needed for the concern.
Choose your next step
Review the workplace retaliation guide, unpaid wages guide, or discrimination guide if those concerns fit your experience. A job title alone does not establish a claim.
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