Federal regulations require a license to work as a hazardous materials removal worker. The program covers health hazards, personal protective equipment and clothing, site safety, hazard recognition and identification, and decontamination. In some cases, workers will discover one hazardous material while abating another. If the workers are not licensed to work with the newly discovered material they cannot continue to work. Many experienced workers opt to take courses in additional disciplines to counteract this problem.
Some employers prefer to hire workers licensed in multiple disciplines.
For decommissioning and decontamination workers employed at nuclear facilities, training is more extensive. In addition to the standard 40-hour training course in asbestos, lead, and hazardous waste, workers must take courses on regulations governing nuclear materials and radiation safety. These courses add up to approximately three months of training, though most are not taken consecutively. Many agencies, organizations and companies throughout the country provide training programs that are approved by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, and other regulatory bodies. Workers in all fields are required to take refresher courses every year to maintain their license.