Hazardous Materials Removal Workers
Construction and Extraction Occupations- O*NET-SOC code
- 47-4041.00
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.
- Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08
Low· relative
LowFour relative bandsVery highGroup-level value
Scale, basis and source
Four relative bands (Low / Moderate / High / Very high)
831 detailed occupations in the BLS Employment Projections table. Assigned per National Employment Matrix (NEM) code, so occupations sharing a NEM code carry the same band
- Data source: AnthropicPublished: 2026-03
0.000
0.000Range of values carried here0.745Scale, basis and source
Observed exposure index, 0–1 as published
Mapped onto O*NET tasks
Published per SOC 2018 occupation; every O*NET occupation with the same SOC 2018 code carries this value
- Data source: ILOPublished: 2025
0.09
0.09Range of values carried here0.70Group-level value
Scale, basis and source
Generative AI exposure index, 0–1 as published
Published per ISCO-08 unit group. Linked to this occupation, wholly or in part, by applying U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to 2018 SOC) as published
What kind of figure this source publishes
The BLS category is a relative rank, not an absolute level, and it is not a first-hand measurement: it groups an occupation's percentile ranks across several published studies into four bands. It is not an employment or wage forecast, not a probability of adoption, and it does not separate automation from augmentation.
Task-level exposure
Exposed tasks only21 rated tasks · 3 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (14.3%)
β = direct exposure (E1) + 0.5 × exposure when tools are available (E2), per the source repository's definition.
- Source unit: O*NET 27.2 tasks → O*NET 31.0 occupation code
- 2 rated tasks are not in the O*NET 31.0 task list; their scores are kept as published for O*NET 27.2.
- Source
- OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" exposure rubric
- Release
- gh-main-0471612
- License
- MIT License, Copyright (c) 2024 OpenAI
| Task (O*NET 20.1) | Claude.aiRaw / share % | APIRaw / share % |
|---|---|---|
Identify or separate waste products or materials for recycling or reuse.47-4041.00 | 0.0037100.0 | 0.0016100.0 |
| Not observed on any surface — 20 task(s) — These tasks have no row in the source for this release. The 0 in the share row is a display-stage composition ratio; absence is what the — in the raw row states. | ||
Comply with prescribed safety procedures or federal laws regulating waste disposal methods. | —0 | —0 |
Operate machines or equipment to remove, package, store, or transport loads of waste materials. | —0 | —0 |
Load or unload materials into containers or onto trucks, using hoists or forklifts. | —0 | —0 |
Clean contaminated equipment or areas for re-use, using detergents or solvents, sandblasters, filter pumps, or steam cleaners. | —0 | —0 |
Remove asbestos or lead from surfaces, using hand or power tools such as scrapers, vacuums, or high-pressure sprayers. | —0 | —0 |
Identify asbestos, lead, or other hazardous materials to be removed, using monitoring devices. | —0 | —0 |
Clean mold-contaminated sites by removing damaged porous materials or thoroughly cleaning all contaminated nonporous materials. | —0 | —0 |
Remove or limit contamination following emergencies involving hazardous substances. | —0 | —0 |
Build containment areas prior to beginning abatement or decontamination work. | —0 | —0 |
Prepare hazardous material for removal or storage. | —0 | —0 |
Record numbers of containers stored at disposal sites, specifying amounts or types of equipment or waste disposed. | —0 | —0 |
Drive trucks or other heavy equipment to convey contaminated waste to designated sea or ground locations. | —0 | —0 |
Upload baskets of irradiated elements onto machines that insert fuel elements into canisters and secure lids. | —0 | —0 |
Package, store, or move irradiated fuel elements in the underwater storage basins of nuclear reactor plants, using machines or equipment. | —0 | —0 |
Organize or track the locations of hazardous items in landfills. | —0 | —0 |
Operate cranes to move or load baskets, casks, or canisters. | —0 | —0 |
Mix or pour concrete into forms to encase waste material for disposal. | —0 | —0 |
Apply bioremediation techniques to hazardous wastes to allow naturally occurring bacteria to break down toxic substances. | —0 | —0 |
Process e-waste, such as computer components containing lead or mercury. | —0 | —0 |
Sort specialized hazardous waste at landfills or disposal centers, following proper disposal procedures. | —0 | —0 |
Values in this tab are predicted labels, not observations. Eloundou et al. (2023) published two rating regimes — human raters and GPT-4 — and the β shown here is derived from the GPT-4 rater basis alone; the same task can take a different value under the other regime. The unit and the meaning differ from the observed shares (%) in the other tabs, so do not place them on the same axis.
| Task (O*NET 27.2) | βE1 + 0.5 × E2 |
|---|---|
Record numbers of containers stored at disposal sites, specifying amounts or types of equipment or waste disposed.O*NET Task ID 11585 | 1.0 |
Identify asbestos, lead, or other hazardous materials to be removed, using monitoring devices.O*NET Task ID 11594 | 0.5 |
Organize or track the locations of hazardous items in landfills.O*NET Task ID 11597 | 0.5 |
Comply with prescribed safety procedures or federal laws regulating waste disposal methods.O*NET Task ID 11584 | 0.0 |
Drive trucks or other heavy equipment to convey contaminated waste to designated sea or ground locations.O*NET Task ID 11586 | 0.0 |
Operate machines or equipment to remove, package, store, or transport loads of waste materials.O*NET Task ID 11587 | 0.0 |
Load or unload materials into containers or onto trucks, using hoists or forklifts.O*NET Task ID 11588 | 0.0 |
Clean contaminated equipment or areas for reuse, using detergents or solvents, sandblasters, filter pumps, or steam cleaners.O*NET Task ID 11589 | 0.0 |
Remove asbestos or lead from surfaces, using hand or power tools such as scrapers, vacuums, or high-pressure sprayers.O*NET Task ID 11591 | 0.0 |
Upload baskets of irradiated elements onto machines that insert fuel elements into canisters and secure lids.O*NET Task ID 11592 | 0.0 |
Package, store, or move irradiated fuel elements in the underwater storage basins of nuclear reactor plants, using machines or equipment.O*NET Task ID 11596 | 0.0 |
Operate cranes to move or load baskets, casks, or canisters.O*NET Task ID 11598 | 0.0 |
Mix or pour concrete into forms to encase waste material for disposal.O*NET Task ID 11600 | 0.0 |
Apply bioremediation techniques to hazardous wastes to allow naturally occurring bacteria to break down toxic substances.O*NET Task ID 19868 | 0.0 |
Clean mold-contaminated sites by removing damaged porous materials or thoroughly cleaning all contaminated nonporous materials.O*NET Task ID 19869 | 0.0 |
Identify or separate waste products or materials for recycling or reuse.O*NET Task ID 19870 | 0.0 |
Process e-waste, such as computer components containing lead or mercury.O*NET Task ID 19871 | 0.0 |
Remove or limit contamination following emergencies involving hazardous substances.O*NET Task ID 19872 | 0.0 |
Sort specialized hazardous waste at landfills or disposal centers, following proper disposal procedures.O*NET Task ID 19873 | 0.0 |
Build containment areas prior to beginning abatement or decontamination work.O*NET Task ID 20796 | 0.0 |
Prepare hazardous material for removal or storage.O*NET Task ID 20797 | 0.0 |
β = E1 + 0.5 × E2 · E1 = tasks where direct LLM access alone cuts time by at least 50%, E2 = tasks where software built on top of an LLM cuts time by at least 50%. Values take only 0 / 0.5 / 1.0.
Data sources & licenses — O*NET®, Anthropic Economic Index, Eloundou et al. (2023): see full notices on the Credits page
All O*NET 31.0 task statements (19)
All O*NET 31.0 task statements for this occupation (English, as published; task type core or supplemental). Exposure values are not listed here; they are in the table above, next to each task statement as worded in the O*NET version each source used.
| Task (O*NET 31.0) | Type |
|---|---|
| Comply with prescribed safety procedures or federal laws regulating waste disposal methods. | Core |
| Record numbers of containers stored at disposal sites, specifying amounts or types of equipment or waste disposed. | Core |
| Operate machines or equipment to remove, package, store, or transport loads of waste materials. | Core |
| Load or unload materials into containers or onto trucks, using hoists or forklifts. | Core |
| Clean contaminated equipment or areas for reuse, using detergents or solvents, sandblasters, filter pumps, or steam cleaners. | Core |
| Remove asbestos or lead from surfaces, using hand or power tools such as scrapers, vacuums, or high-pressure sprayers. | Core |
| Clean mold-contaminated sites by removing damaged porous materials or thoroughly cleaning all contaminated nonporous materials. | Core |
| Sort specialized hazardous waste at landfills or disposal centers, following proper disposal procedures. | Core |
| Build containment areas prior to beginning abatement or decontamination work. | Core |
| Prepare hazardous material for removal or storage. | Core |
| Drive trucks or other heavy equipment to convey contaminated waste to designated sea or ground locations. | Supplemental |
| Identify asbestos, lead, or other hazardous materials to be removed, using monitoring devices. | Supplemental |
| Organize or track the locations of hazardous items in landfills. | Supplemental |
| Operate cranes to move or load baskets, casks, or canisters. | Supplemental |
| Mix or pour concrete into forms to encase waste material for disposal. | Supplemental |
| Apply bioremediation techniques to hazardous wastes to allow naturally occurring bacteria to break down toxic substances. | Supplemental |
| Identify or separate waste products or materials for recycling or reuse. | Supplemental |
| Process e-waste, such as computer components containing lead or mercury. | Supplemental |
| Remove or limit contamination following emergencies involving hazardous substances. | Supplemental |
0.72/ 3· Robot exposure index
Scale, basis and source
Each physical task is graded 0–3 by the setting in which robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated could do it (0 none · 1 purpose-built robot settings such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line · 2 structured facilities such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port · 3 unstructured settings such as a private home or a construction site), and the grades are averaged by share of working time
Physical tasks among this occupation's O*NET 29.3 tasks
Anthropic estimated the grades and time shares with Claude Opus 5 using web search, as of 2026.
The robot exposure index is a different measure from the AI exposure figures on this site and cannot be added to or compared with them. It does not measure actual adoption or cost, and 0 also covers occupations with no physical tasks.
Tier of each physical task
Robot environment tiers (E0–E3)
E0 noneDetails
Rated not doable by robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated, even in a purpose-built setting
E1 purpose-built robot settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting built around the machine, such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line
E2 structured facilitiesDetails
Rated doable in a human work facility that an institution keeps to a working standard, such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port
E3 unstructured settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting that no institution keeps to a working standard, such as a private home or a construction site
Only tasks classified as physical are listed; other tasks have no tier in the source.
| Task (O*NET 29.3) | Robot environment tier |
|---|---|
| Comply with prescribed safety procedures or federal laws regulating waste disposal methods. | E0 none |
| Operate machines or equipment to remove, package, store, or transport loads of waste materials. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Load or unload materials into containers or onto trucks, using hoists or forklifts. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Clean contaminated equipment or areas for reuse, using detergents or solvents, sandblasters, filter pumps, or steam cleaners. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Remove asbestos or lead from surfaces, using hand or power tools such as scrapers, vacuums, or high-pressure sprayers. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Identify asbestos, lead, or other hazardous materials to be removed, using monitoring devices. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Clean mold-contaminated sites by removing damaged porous materials or thoroughly cleaning all contaminated nonporous materials. | E0 none |
| Remove or limit contamination following emergencies involving hazardous substances. | E0 none |
| Build containment areas prior to beginning abatement or decontamination work. | E0 none |
| Prepare hazardous material for removal or storage. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Drive trucks or other heavy equipment to convey contaminated waste to designated sea or ground locations. | E2 structured facilities |
| Upload baskets of irradiated elements onto machines that insert fuel elements into canisters and secure lids. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Package, store, or move irradiated fuel elements in the underwater storage basins of nuclear reactor plants, using machines or equipment. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Organize or track the locations of hazardous items in landfills. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Operate cranes to move or load baskets, casks, or canisters. | E2 structured facilities |
| Mix or pour concrete into forms to encase waste material for disposal. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Apply bioremediation techniques to hazardous wastes to allow naturally occurring bacteria to break down toxic substances. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Identify or separate waste products or materials for recycling or reuse. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Process e-waste, such as computer components containing lead or mercury. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Sort specialized hazardous waste at landfills or disposal centers, following proper disposal procedures. | E0 none |
Occupation information
Employment outlook (BLS)
- Employment, 2025
- 53K
- Projected employment, 2035
- 54K
- Change (2025–35)
- +1.5%
- Median annual wage, 2025
- $49,450
- Typical education needed for entry
- High school diploma or equivalent
Korea classification links (KSCO)
Links from the current release of the Korea Occupation Direct Crosswalk v1.1, made by AI Changing Work. Relation values are read from the O*NET-SOC occupation side.
| KSCO code | KSCO title | Relation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 91001 | 건설 단순 종사원 | Related, not a match | confirmed |
Relation and status definitions(kr-direct v1.1)
ILO occupational description
AI Changing Work links the ISCO-08 unit groups below to this occupation by applying the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (2018 SOC to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to ISCO-08) as published, without case-by-case selection; each link may be whole or partial.
- ISCO-08 7119Building Frame and Related Trades Workers Not Elsewhere Classified
The definition, tasks and examples below are the ILO's description of that unit group, not of this occupation.
This unit group covers building frame and related trades workers not classified elsewhere in Minor Group 711: Building Frame and Related Trades Workers. For instance, the unit group includes steeplejacks, scaffolders and demolition workers.
Tasks
- In such cases tasks would include -
- (a) climbing and performing miscellaneous construction and building maintenance work on tall structures such as towers, chimneys and spires;
- (b) erecting temporary metal or wooden scaffolding on building sites;
- (c) demolishing buildings and other structures.
Example occupations
Building wrecker · Prefabricated building assembler · Scaffolder · Skilled demolition worker · Steeplejack
Sources: ILO ISCO-08 — details: Credits
ESCO occupational vocabulary
Each entry below is matched to this occupation in the published ESCO-O*NET Crosswalk (version 1, 2022). The match types are that crosswalk's; the wording is AI Changing Work's.
- asbestos abatement workerESCO 7133.1This occupation is broader
Asbestos abatement workers remove asbestos from buildings and other constructions, compliant with health and safety regulations concerning the handling of hazardous materials. They investigate the intensity of the asbestos contamination, prepare the structure for removal, and prevent contamination of other areas.
- decontamination workerESCO 7133.5This occupation is broader
Decontamination workers remove and dispose of hazardous materials, such as radioactive materials or contaminated soil. They handle hazardous materials in compliance with safety regulations, investigate causes of contamination, and remove the contamination from the structure or site.
- liquid waste treatment plant operatorESCO 3132.2This occupation is broader
Liquid waste treatment technicians remove hazardous chemicals and pollutants from liquid waste such as oil so that it can be safely used for new applications. They operate and maintain liquid waste treatment equipment, monitor operations, and test samples to ensure the safety standards are met.
- hazardous waste technicianESCO 3116.1.4Overlapping, not the same
Hazardous waste technicians dispose of materials that have been in contact with or are ignitable, corrosive, reactive, toxic or a combination of the aforementioned hazardous traits. They remove the waste from industrial facilities or households and transport them to a treatment facility to ensure they are treated and disposed of according to regulations. They may also advise on the proper treatment of hazardous waste, and aid in the clean-up of hazardous waste spills.
Source: European Commission, DG EMPL — ESCO API 2026-08-08 (bridge v1.2.1)
License: CC BY 4.0 (EU Reuse Notice)
ESCO reuse terms and the modification notice are in Credits.
France classification links (ROME)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and ROME 4.0 job profiles, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side. Links marked “provisional” were adopted on the judgments of two judges from the same model family (Claude) alone, or by an operator rule applied to their judgments, so they rest on weaker evidence than confirmed links.
| ROME code | ROME title (French) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| I1504 | Décontaminateur / Décontamineuse nucléaire et radiologique | This occupation is broader |
| I1507 | Opérateur / Opératrice démantèlement nucléaire | This occupation is broader |
| I1508 | Désamianteur / Désamianteuse | This occupation is broader |
| I1505 | Technicien / Technicienne logistique combustible nucléaire | This occupation is broaderprovisional |
| I1514 | Technicien / Technicienne en dépollution | Overlapping, not the same |
| I1503 | Technicien / Technicienne en risques technologiques | Related, not a match |
Source: France Travail — Répertoire Opérationnel des Métiers et des Emplois (ROME 4.0), version 61, last updated 15 June 2026 (https://www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/repertoire-operationnel-des-metiers-et-des-emplois-rome). Licence Ouverte 2.0.
ROME codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET-SOC occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a France Travail correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: fr-direct v1)
Spain classification links (CNO-11)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and CNO-11 occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| CNO-11 code | CNO-11 title (Spanish) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 7295 | Personal de limpieza de fachadas de edificios y chimeneas | This occupation is broaderprovisional |
| 3132 | Técnicos en instalaciones de tratamiento de residuos, de aguas y otros operadores en plantas similares | Related, not a match |
| 7199 | Otros trabajadores de las obras estructurales de construcción no clasificados bajo otros epígrafes | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), National Classification of Occupations 2011 (CNO-11, Royal Decree 1591/2010) — www.ine.es · Licensed CC BY 4.0. CNO-11 codes and Spanish titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not an INE correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: es-direct v1)
Germany classification links (KldB)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and KldB occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| KldB code | KldB title (German) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 32172 | Berufe im Bauwerksabbruch - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | Related, not a match |
| 34332 | Berufe in der Abfallwirtschaft - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | Related, not a match |
| 42333 | Strahlenschutzbeauftragte - komplexe Spezialistentätigkeiten | Related, not a match |
| 33242 | Berufe im Holz- und Bautenschutz - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: © Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — Klassifikation der Berufe 2010 – überarbeitete Fassung 2020, https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de. KldB codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own mapping (eigene Zuordnung) and are not a Bundesagentur für Arbeit correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: de-direct v1)
Japan classification links (JSCO)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and JSCO occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| JSCO code | JSCO title (Japanese) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 715 | 産業廃棄物処理従事者 | Overlapping, not the same |
| 652 | とび職 | Related, not a match |
| 719 | その他の清掃従事者 | Related, not a match |
Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan Standard Occupational Classification (Dec. 2009, MIC Notification No. 555). JSCO codes and Japanese titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a MIC correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: jp-direct v1)
Sources, licenses and AI Changing Work's modification and translation notices for this page: Credits & sources