Do haz-mat workers earn a lot of money?

Answer 1

Yes, but not as much as you might think. Since the industry has built in so many safety measures it's not as dangerous as it might be. (Dangerous work pays well!) Here are some stats from the U.S. Department of Labor: Median hourly earnings of hazardous materials removal workers were $15.61 in 2002. The middle 50 percent earned between $12.37 and $22.18 per hour. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $10.29 per hour, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $26.60 per hour. The median hourly earnings in remediation and other waste management services, the largest industry employing hazardous materials removal workers in 2002, were $14.92 in 2002. According to the limited data available, treatment, storage, and disposal workers usually earn slightly more than asbestos abatement and lead abatement workers. Decontamination and decommissioning workers and radiation protection technicians, though constituting the smallest group, tend to earn the highest wages.