Will AI replace hazardous materials removal workers?

Not on current evidence. Less than 30 minutes of a typical shift goes to tasks that AI or robots are doing today. The other 7h 31m (94%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 1.5% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

None of this job's tasks show regular AI use yet. That can mean the work is hands-on or in person, or simply that it rarely comes up in AI usage data.

For some tasks, yes. Robots have done 2 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 29m of a typical shift. 13 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here. For 5 physical tasks, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

• Drive trucks or other heavy equipment to convey contaminated waste to designated sea or ground locations. (23m a shift; e.g. Cat MineStar Command for hauling, in use)
• Operate cranes to move or load baskets, casks, or canisters. (6m a shift; e.g. ABB stacking crane automation (Automated Stacking Cranes), in use)

7h 31m of a typical shift, or 94%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Remove asbestos or lead from surfaces, using hand or power tools such as scrapers, vacuums, or high-pressure sprayers. (1h 40m a shift)
• Build containment areas prior to beginning abatement or decontamination work. (59m a shift)
• Prepare hazardous material for removal or storage. (41m a shift)
• Clean contaminated equipment or areas for reuse, using detergents or solvents, sandblasters, filter pumps, or steam cleaners. (41m a shift)
• Comply with prescribed safety procedures or federal laws regulating waste disposal methods. (29m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 85% carry high or very high responsibility for other workers' safety
• 78% spend more than half the day on their feet
• 69% work at arm's length or closer to other people

On Indeed, job postings in the Construction sector are at 129% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 6.4% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 4,300 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $49,450 a year ($23.78 an hour), 3% below the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $38,460 and $82,410 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects growth of 1.5% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 54,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 4,300 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 52,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.03% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 387th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 54,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is less than a high school diploma: about 26% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 3 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: vocational school or associate's degree. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Quality Control Analysis, Monitoring
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 7h 31m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Jenkins CI, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint

These use similar skills. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Highway Maintenance Workers (4h 8m touched, $50k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 2 with robots in real deployments, 19 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.