Decontamination worker to hazardous waste technician
A decontamination worker already meets 44% of what the hazardous waste technician role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
60.8/ 100
1 How much of what a hazardous waste technician is expected to do is already part of a decontamination worker’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the hazardous waste technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A hazardous waste technician role treats 11 of its required skills as things a decontamination worker already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- assess contamination
- avoid contamination
- contamination exposure regulations
- dispose of hazardous waste
- ensure compliance with waste legislative regulations
- hazardous materials transportation
What stands in the way is 6 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 17 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A hazardous waste technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a decontamination worker background worth leading with.
- already held store contaminated materials handling and moving
- already held remove contaminated materials handling and moving
- already held decontamination techniques engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held hazardous materials transportation services
- already held remove contaminants handling and moving
- already held radioactive contamination natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
All 17 carried skills, including the 11 the hazardous waste technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 36 missing skills fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn characteristics of waste required
- still to learn waste and scrap products required
- still to learn hazardous waste types required
- still to learn waste management required
- still to learn assess waste type required
- optional, not held clean up spilled oil optional
- optional, not held drain hazardous liquids optional
- optional, not held collect industrial waste optional
- optional, not held collect samples for analysis optional
- optional, not held monitor disposal of radioactive substances optional
- optional, not held sort waste optional
- still to learn follow standards for machinery safety required
- optional, not held follow nuclear plant safety precautions optional
- optional, not held respond to nuclear emergencies optional
- optional, not held ensure compliance with radiation protection regulations optional
- optional, not held issue licences optional
- optional, not held maintain waste collection records optional
- optional, not held report pollution incidents optional
- optional, not held inspect compliance with hazardous waste regulations optional
- optional, not held maintain recycling records optional
- optional, not held monitor radiation levels optional
- optional, not held read maps optional
- optional, not held educate on hazardous waste optional
- optional, not held advise on waste management procedures optional
- optional, not held instruct employees on radiation protection optional
- optional, not held heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration parts optional
- optional, not held hydraulics optional
- optional, not held pollution prevention optional
5 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a hazardous waste technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 assess waste type practise this
- 02 characteristics of waste study this
- 03 follow standards for machinery safety practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 17 skills that carry over
- already held assess contamination skill
- already held avoid contamination skill
- already held contamination exposure regulations knowledge
- already held dispose of hazardous waste skill
- already held ensure compliance with waste legislative regulations skill
- already held hazardous materials transportation knowledge
- already held hazardous waste storage knowledge
- already held hazardous waste treatment knowledge
- already held remove contaminants skill
- already held remove contaminated materials skill
- already held store contaminated materials skill
- already held decontamination techniques knowledge
- already held document analysis results skill
- already held radiation protection knowledge
- already held radioactive contamination knowledge
- already held test samples for pollutants skill
- already held wear appropriate protective gear skill
The 5 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held establish waste collection routes optional
- optional, not held develop hazardous waste management strategies optional
- optional, not held develop radiation protection strategies optional
- optional, not held radiochemistry optional
- optional, not held pneumatics optional
- optional, not held pollution legislation optional
- optional, not held test electrical equipment optional
- optional, not held operate recycling processing equipment optional
30 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held clean up spilled oil optional
- optional, not held drain hazardous liquids optional
- optional, not held educate on hazardous waste optional
- optional, not held establish waste collection routes optional
- optional, not held follow nuclear plant safety precautions optional
- optional, not held maintain waste collection records optional
- optional, not held pollution legislation optional
- optional, not held radiochemistry optional
- optional, not held report pollution incidents optional
- optional, not held respond to nuclear emergencies optional
- optional, not held advise on waste management procedures optional
- optional, not held collect industrial waste optional
- optional, not held collect samples for analysis optional
- optional, not held develop hazardous waste management strategies optional
- optional, not held develop radiation protection strategies optional
- optional, not held ensure compliance with radiation protection regulations optional
- optional, not held heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration parts optional
- optional, not held hydraulics optional
- optional, not held inspect compliance with hazardous waste regulations optional
- optional, not held instruct employees on radiation protection optional
- optional, not held issue licences optional
- optional, not held maintain recycling records optional
- optional, not held monitor disposal of radioactive substances optional
- optional, not held monitor radiation levels optional
- optional, not held operate recycling processing equipment optional
- optional, not held pneumatics optional
- optional, not held pollution prevention optional
- optional, not held read maps optional
- optional, not held sort waste optional
- optional, not held test electrical equipment optional
14 held skills the hazardous waste technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on soil and water protection skill
- not needed by the target role assist people in contaminated areas skill
- not needed by the target role cleaning industry health and safety measures knowledge
- not needed by the target role disinfect surfaces skill
- not needed by the target role ensure operability of protective equipment skill
- not needed by the target role follow safety procedures when working at heights skill
- not needed by the target role handle chemical cleaning agents skill
- not needed by the target role health, safety and hygiene legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify damage to buildings skill
- not needed by the target role investigate contamination skill
- not needed by the target role perform demarcation skill
- not needed by the target role report on building damage skill
- not needed by the target role secure working area skill
- not needed by the target role tend asbestos blower skill
10 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn characteristics of waste required
- still to learn waste and scrap products required
- still to learn hazardous waste types required
- still to learn waste management required
- optional, not held pollution legislation optional
- optional, not held radiochemistry optional
- optional, not held heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration parts optional
- optional, not held hydraulics optional
- optional, not held pneumatics optional
- optional, not held pollution prevention optional
Common questions about this move
Can a decontamination worker become a hazardous waste technician?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A decontamination worker already covers 44% of what a hazardous waste technician is expected to do: 17 skills carry over, 11 of which the hazardous waste technician role treats as required.
What skills does a decontamination worker need to become a hazardous waste technician?
6 required skills are missing, plus 30 optional ones. They fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by services. The single most important is assess waste type.
How hard is the move from decontamination worker to hazardous waste technician?
Its learning distance is 60.8 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.