Clean Harbors: Hiring, Background Check & Employment Verification FAQs

Clean Harbors was founded in 1980 by Alan S. McKim, who started the company as a small four-person tank cleaning business. McKim has continued to lead the company for decades, currently serving as chairman, having built Clean Harbors from its modest beginnings into a large, publicly traded environmental services company listed on the NYSE under the ticker symbol CLH. The company grew primarily through geographic expansion and a series of strategic acquisitions of waste management and treatment facilities, beginning in the northeastern United States and expanding over time to the South and West.

Clean Harbors weathered a significant financial restructuring, including a Chapter 11 process, in the early 2000s, before continuing its growth trajectory. The company completed the largest acquisition in its history in 2012 with the purchase of Safety-Kleen, a leading North American used oil recycling and re-refining, parts cleaning, and environmental solutions company, which added approximately 4,200 employees and made Clean Harbors North America's largest re-refiner and recycler of used oil. Clean Harbors has played a significant role in major environmental emergency response efforts, including the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and COVID-19 decontamination initiatives.

Today, Clean Harbors operates more than 870 locations, employs more than 25,000 people, and generates nearly $6 billion in annual revenue, serving a customer base that includes a majority of Fortune 500 companies as well as government agencies. Clean Harbors is headquartered in Norwell, Massachusetts. The company's workforce includes hazardous waste technicians, industrial cleaning crews, CDL drivers who transport hazardous materials, emergency response personnel, and facility operators at its waste treatment and disposal sites.

Company culture and employee programs: Clean Harbors emphasizes safety performance and environmental compliance as central to its operations, given the highly regulated nature of hazardous waste handling and disposal. The company has built a reputation for rapid emergency response capabilities across major environmental incidents. Benefits, training, and advancement opportunities can vary by role and facility, so candidates should confirm specifics with a recruiter during the hiring process.

Yes. Employers in the environmental and hazardous waste services industry, including Clean Harbors, are legally permitted and, for many roles, required to conduct pre-employment background checks on job candidates, given the sensitive and heavily regulated nature of hazardous materials handling. In the United States, employment screening is governed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which requires employers to obtain written consent, provide disclosures, and follow adverse action procedures.

Clean Harbors is generally reported to conduct background checks as part of its hiring process, which is standard and often required for hazardous waste and environmental services employers, particularly for drivers who transport hazardous materials and technicians with facility access.

The hiring process for technician and driver roles at Clean Harbors typically includes an application, an interview, verification of any required commercial driver's license (CDL) and hazmat endorsements, and a background check prior to a final offer.

Background check timelines can vary based on the type of screening requested and how quickly records can be verified. Learn more about typical background check turnaround times to understand what factors can affect the process.

A typical pre-employment background check for a hazardous waste or environmental services role may include:

Under the FCRA, criminal history reporting is generally limited to seven years for most background checks, though DOT regulations for commercial drivers transporting hazardous materials involve additional federal requirements, including TSA hazmat endorsement background checks.

Hiring decisions involving candidates with criminal records are generally made on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the nature of the offense, how much time has passed, and its relevance to the role, with federal restrictions applying to certain offenses for drivers seeking hazmat endorsements. Some states have adopted "ban-the-box" laws that restrict when employers can ask about criminal history during the hiring process.

Candidates can generally expect to provide personal information such as full legal name, date of birth, and Social Security number, along with signed consent authorizing the background check, in compliance with FCRA requirements. Driver roles typically also require a valid CDL and relevant endorsements.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is a federal law that regulates how employers can use background check information in hiring decisions. It requires employers to notify candidates before running a check, obtain written consent, and follow specific adverse action procedures if a decision is made based on background check results.

Running a personal background check with Checkr lets you preview what Clean Harbors may see during the hiring process, helping you address any concerns before you apply. A personal background check can include:

Learn more about Checkr Personal Background Checks and explore your Checkr Profile to see what information may appear in your own background check.

If you're a candidate with a background check in progress through Checkr as part of your application to Clean Harbors or another employer, you can check your status through the Candidate Portal. For additional support, visit the Checkr Help Center.

The information provided in this article does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice. All information is for general informational purposes only. Checkr does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of this information and is not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for the results obtained from the use of this information. This article may contain links to other third-party websites. Such links are only for the convenience of the reader. Checkr does not endorse the contents of the third-party sites and disclaims any affiliation with the companies mentioned in this article unless otherwise stated.