miami university

Career Options

Hazardous Waste Management Communication

Technical communicators who write about hazardous waste management, a specified area of environmental communication, work with scientists, government agencies, and communities to hold industries accountable for their waste disposal practices.

Overview of Hazardous Waste Management Communication

HWM communicators are responsible for a variety of tasks, such as helping assess polluted sites, investigating industrial practices, writing diverse documents from field reports to public information packets, training industrial workers, and educating communities. Communicators in this field deal largely with the Superfund program, which allows the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to response to the release of hazardous chemicals and abandoned waste dumps and the siting of new hazardous waste sites.

The job market remains steady in HWM, and highly qualified individuals are desired. This standard exists because HWM communicators act as the protectors of many communities and act as advocates for a cleaner and safer environment for everyone.

Job Roles

Since the HWM field is a specialized aspect of environmental communication, the job roles, too, are often highly specialized, especially within the government. The following are primary occupations for HWM communicators:

Community Relations Specialist — Community Relations Specialists typically work for the government, consulting firms, or the private sector, acting as liaisons between scientists and communities (Dollarhide, 1998). For example, they would be responsible for increasing a community’s awareness and facilitating communication about a hazardous waste (Superfund) site in their area.

Technical Advisor — Technical advisors are generally self-employed or work for consulting firms. This role demands a high competency in scientific inquiry because an advisor must conduct, interpret, and present site-related research to his or her employer and the affected communities.

Trainer — According to “Writing in Hazardous Waste Management”(Dollarhide, 1998), a HWM trainer “could play a part in designing, teaching, and evaluating courses that inform workers about the presence of dangerous chemicals and other hazards in their environments. Trainers can work either for consulting firms or directly for public and private companies.

Work Environment

HWM communicators have the power to positively impact many lives by promoting the prevention of industrial pollution and playing a part in removing it from the environment. Because HWM is such an important field, these jobs often involve extensive fieldwork, which are potentially dangerous and stressful. This fieldwork requires an eye for accuracy and detail, but work can be extremely rewarding because it has the power to positively impact many people ultimately.

Qualifications and Skills

The most prevalent educational backgrounds in the HWM field are biology, chemistry, environmental sciences, English, and communications. HWM communicators must be familiar with conducting research, gathering data, and interpreting results for a variety of audiences; they must also have strong writing and communication skills. Internships and field experience offer better opportunities for entry-level positions.

Estimated Earnings

“Writing in Hazardous Waste Management” (Dollarhide, 1998) cites the following as the median earnings for HWM communicators (earnings may vary based on geographical location):

Outlook and Trends

According to the Bureau of Labor Services’ Occupational Outlook Handbook, HWM will see a “shift in emphasis toward preventing (pollution) problems rather than controlling those that already exist.” In addition, professionals in the HWM field predict a growing need for environmental communicators because the communicators help develop community trust and confidence (Dollarhide, 1998).

Resources

The following web sites offer more in-depth information about HWM and HWM jobs both for the government and for the non-profit sector.

Governmental

Non-profit