Grand Rapids-based Hazmat Handler Opening | Hiring

Opportunity in Grand Rapids

Primary Details

• Job Title: Hazmat Handler
• Status: New Grand Rapids listing (actively interviewing).
• Employer: UPS (Hiring in Grand Rapids)
• Clear growth pathways at our Grand Rapids office.
• Compensation: $24-$28/Hour (approx. $54.6k/Year)
• Apply your your professional skills skills at our Grand Rapids location.
• Benefits: A comprehensive benefits package is included.
• Based in: Grand Rapids, MI (our main Grand Rapids branch)
• This Grand Rapids-based role is an excellent opportunity for professionals skilled in relevant skills.
• Our UPS team in Grand Rapids, MI is growing.
• Benefit from working in Grand Rapids, a key hub for the Package Logistics And Fulfillment industry.

About UPS & Our Culture

Federal law governs every hazardous material that moves through the UPS network — and the associates who ensure that compliance hold one of the most specialized and highest-compensated certifications in our entire fulfillment center associate lineup. UPS ships millions of regulated packages annually under 49 CFR and IATA Dangerous Goods regulations — consumer lithium batteries, aerosol household products, flammable liquids, and corrosive cleaning agents among them — and each one requires a trained Hazmat Handler to verify, segregate, and document its movement through our facility before any carrier vehicle can legally transport it. If you are searching for hazmat handler jobs near me with federally recognized certification, a genuine pay premium, and the kind of specialized role that builds a resume that travels across the entire logistics industry, UPS hazmat is where serious warehouse professionals land.

What Our Team Says (Employee Reviews)

"The DOT General Awareness and Function-Specific Hazmat certifications UPS gave me are recognized on every warehouse and logistics job application I have submitted since. UPS paid for every hour of my training, the exam fees, and the renewal cycles. The premium wage on top of the Teamsters base is significant — I earn noticeably more per hour than associates doing standard sort work right next to me. The responsibility is real, the compliance culture is strict, and I take genuine professional pride in being one of the few hazmat handler certified associates in this building." - Current Hazmat Handler, Albuquerque, NM.

Role Overview & Responsibilities

As a UPS Hazmat Handler, you identify, audit, classify, and process federally regulated hazardous material packages through our fulfillment center — ensuring full compliance with 49 CFR (DOT) and IATA Dangerous Goods regulations at every stage of the package's movement from inbound receipt through outbound trailer loading.

• Regulated Package Identification: Audit inbound packages using UPS's Hazmat compliance scanning system — identifying UN identification numbers, hazard class labels (Classes 1 through 9), limited quantity markings, and consumer commodity exemption qualifications — flagging every regulated item for specialized processing before it enters the general sort conveyor flow.
• Segregation & Storage Compliance: Place identified regulated items in designated hazmat holding areas that comply with 49 CFR Table 177.848 segregation requirements — ensuring Class 1 explosives, Class 2 gases, Class 3 flammables, and Class 8 corrosives are never co-located in positions that create reactive hazard conditions within the facility.
• Shipper's Declaration Verification: Audit every outbound hazardous material shipment for a completed and accurate Shipper's Declaration for Dangerous Goods — verifying proper name, UN number, hazard class, packing group, quantity, and emergency contact information — refusing to release any regulated package to an outbound trailer without a compliant declaration on file.

Benefits & Perks

UPS Hazmat Handlers earn a premium Teamsters wage significantly above the standard handler rate — reflecting the federal certification requirement and compliance liability of the role. All DOT General Awareness, DOT Function-Specific, and IATA Dangerous Goods certifications are fully funded by UPS at zero cost to the associate and renewed on UPS's mandated cycle. Full Teamsters medical, dental, and vision benefits, pension accrual, paid personal days, and UPS Earn & Learn tuition program participation are all included.