A demolition laborer works beside the technicians on teardowns and strip-outs. They carry and load out debris, separate scrap metal from wood and concrete, set barricades and dust barriers, and clean up as the work moves. Much of the job is following the rules that come with asbestos, silica dust and open floors.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, other specialty trade contractors · BLS, May 2025
Provides on-site assistance to demolition specialists while ensuring a safe and efficient working environment. Contributes to the successful completion of demolition projects through effective rubble management and site cleanup.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Assist demolition specialists by handling tools, materials, and equipment as required.
Safely remove rubble and debris from demolition sites.
Prepare and clean work areas to maintain compliance with safety regulations.
Follow site-specific instructions to ensure optimal workflow and project efficiency.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Load and transport demolition debris to disposal areas using available equipment.
Collaborate with team members to support efficient and secure site operations.
Monitor job sites daily to identify potential hazards and report issues promptly.
Maintain clear communication with supervisors regarding material needs and site conditions.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Debris removal efficiency: 95% of rubble cleared and recycled or disposed of per shift.
Safety compliance: 100% adherence to all site safety protocols and no recordable incidents.
Task completion rate: 100% of assigned duties completed within scheduled timeframes.
Site cleanliness rating: Achieve a customer or supervisor satisfaction rating of >4.8 stars on site appearance.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High school diploma or equivalent is required.
Basic knowledge of demolition processes and proper use of hand and power tools.
Ability to follow detailed instructions and adhere to safety guidelines.
Strong physical stamina and teamwork skills in a fast-paced environment.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience in demolition, construction, or related home services industries.
Prior work as a laborer or helper in site management or similar roles.
Familiarity with safety standards and heavy equipment usage on demolition sites.
Past exposure to rubble handling and site cleanup procedures.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift and transport items weighing up to 50 pounds.
Must stand for extended periods and perform physically intensive tasks.
Exposure to outdoor elements and construction site conditions.
Capability to operate in confined spaces and varying environmental temperatures.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard work hours: 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM, Monday through Friday.
Opportunity for overtime during peak project demands.
On-site work in active demolition environments with strict safety protocols.
Occasional travel between multiple project sites may be required.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Hourly rate: $15 - $20 per hour, depending on experience and location.
Eligibility for performance-based bonuses based on project completion metrics.
Comprehensive benefits including Health, Dental, and Vision coverage.
Participation in a 401(k) plan and other fringe benefits provided by the company.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We are a dynamic and forward-thinking organization that values growth, teamwork, and excellence.
Our culture is built on mutual respect, open communication, and a relentless commitment to customer satisfaction.
We invest in our employees through training, career advancement opportunities, and a supportive work environment.
Join our team to be part of a company that inspires innovation and encourages you to level up your career.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
Here the laborer carries out what the crew takes down, and the rules follow the debris: who may be on the site, who may clean it up, how it's swept and where it's piled.
Nobody under 18 on a teardown
Federal child labor rules count wrecking and demolition as too hazardous for 16- and 17-year-olds. That covers every task, cleanup and salvage included, wherever a building or other structure is being razed or dismantled, wholly or partly. This order has no exception for apprentices or student-learners. Younger teens can't work in construction at all, apart from office or sales jobs. Interior tear-outs can count as partial demolition, so keep minors off them too. Check every summer hire's age before day one. Source: eCFR: Hazardous Occupations Order 15, wrecking and demolition (29 CFR 570.66).
Sweeping up after asbestos work is asbestos work
OSHA calls the cleanup of dust, waste and debris from asbestos removal or repair Class IV work. A laborer doing it is trained before or when first assigned, free of charge, for two hours or more, and again every year. The work uses wet methods and HEPA vacuums, never dry sweeping. In a regulated area where respirators are required, the laborer wears one. Where crumbly pipe insulation or sprayed coatings are within reach, the rule says to assume the debris holds asbestos. Source: eCFR: Asbestos in construction (29 CFR 1926.1101).
Concrete dust gets wet-swept or vacuumed
Breaking slabs and block leaves silica dust on every floor. OSHA's silica rule bars dry sweeping or brushing that could add to a worker's exposure. A wet broom, a HEPA vacuum or another low-dust method comes first, and dry sweeping is allowed only if none is feasible. Blowing dust off clothes or surfaces with compressed air is out too, unless a system captures the cloud or nothing else works. Send water and a HEPA vacuum out with the crew before the first slab is broken. Source: eCFR: Respirable crystalline silica in construction (29 CFR 1926.1153).
Debris piles have a weight limit
Laborers pile debris where it can be loaded out, and OSHA caps any pile on a floor at what that floor is rated to carry. In a building with wood floors, boards may come up on only one floor above grade to make a storage space. Wood beams that brace walls stay until something equal replaces them. Any storage space that debris is dumped into stays blocked off, with its openings shut except while material is being removed. Source: eCFR: Storage of debris in demolition (29 CFR 1926.857).
How much demolition laborers make
The closest BLS group for demolition laborers is construction laborers. Construction laborers who work for other specialty trade contractors earned a median of $22.79 an hour ($47,410 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s about the same as the $47,120 median for construction laborers in all industries. About 186,050 of the 1,096,780 construction laborers in that survey work for other specialty trade contractors.
Hourly with overtime, plus a project bonus. The template's range starts below what nine in ten construction laborers at these contractors earn and stops well short of their median, because BLS counts new helpers together with seasoned laborers who run breakers and saws. Add pay steps as a laborer learns the tools a technician uses.
Other specialty trade contractors
$47,410$47,410 median Middle half $38,870–$59,750 10th–90th $35,920–$78,330
All industries
$47,120$47,120 median Middle half $38,620–$59,740 10th–90th $35,090–$78,090
$30k$40k$50k$60k$70k$80k$90k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Other specialty trade contractors
$35,920
$38,870
$47,410
$59,750
$78,330
All industries
$35,090
$38,620
$47,120
$59,740
$78,090
BLS doesn’t publish pay for demolition contractors on their own. These figures cover other specialty trade contractors, which include them. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Loads debris boxes evenly and keeps concrete out of the wood and metal boxes
Leaves anything that looks like pipe wrap or old ceiling texture for the lead to check
Respects barricades, hole covers and drop zones without being reminded
Keeps tools in sight and loads them back on the truck before leaving
Asks before guessing when an order isn't clear
Teach these on the job
Asbestos awareness training for cleanup work
Wet sweeping and HEPA vacuum use
A demo hammer and cut-off saw, under the lead's eye
Hanging plastic dust barriers on interior tear-outs
Sorting scrap metal by type for the scrap yard
Laborers work with shovels, scoops, wheelbarrows, debris carts, pry bars, sledgehammers, nail pullers, a HEPA vacuum and a water hose. The ad should say whether laborers ride from the yard in a company truck and when they start on power tools.
Demolition laborer interview questions
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Spotting hazardous items
You're loading a dumpster and see old fluorescent tubes and a thermostat in the pile. What do you do?
A strong answer: Takes them out carefully without breaking them, sets them aside, and tells the supervisor.
Behavioral · Work ethic
Tell me about a time at work, school or volunteering when you finished a dirty or unpleasant job without being reminded.
A strong answer: Gives a specific example and why they followed through.
These goals come straight from the template. Watch a new laborer for a month on your own crews before holding them to any of them.
Debris removal efficiency
Debris the lead planned to clear in a shift against what actually went out, judged by boxes filled or rooms cleared. Note shifts that waited on a truck or a box swap.
Safety compliance
The lead's daily checks: gear worn, barricades and hole covers left alone, dust wet-swept or vacuumed, and debris piled only where the lead said.
Task completion rate
Before the crew leaves each day, the lead marks which assigned jobs got done, such as a room loaded out, a barricade line set or scrap sorted. Count only misses the laborer caused.
Site cleanliness rating
A short walk score by the lead or the client's site contact at day's end: aisles and exits clear, street and sidewalk swept, boxes covered and nothing loose where a neighbor can reach it.
Career path
Laborer / helperCarries out what the crew takes down and keeps the site clean.
Does the ride from the yard to a teardown count as work time?
It does when laborers must meet at the yard to get the day's orders or load the breakers, carts and HEPA vacuums. Under federal wage rules, the clock then runs from the yard, whatever the custom. A run to the dump or a move to a second site mid-shift counts too. The drive from home to the yard doesn't. Your state may count more time than that.
How much does a demolition laborer make?
Construction laborers who work for other specialty trade contractors earned a median of $22.79 an hour ($47,410 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $38,870 and $59,750 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
Can laborers keep scrap or salvage from a teardown?
Set the rule in writing before the first job: nothing leaves the site without the lead's OK. Depending on the contract, copper, steel and fixtures may belong to the company or to the owner, so a laborer who takes a bundle of wire home may be taking the client's money. Give each crew a marked box for salvage, and have the inventory specialist log it in at the yard.
What sits behind the template's stamina line?
That wording stays. For a teardown crew it means carrying bagged plaster and lath down stairs, shoveling broken concrete into boxes, pulling nails from lumber the client wants saved, and working bent over in crawl spaces. Each of those belongs in the posting. EEOC guidance says you may ask whether a candidate can do these duties, either as described or with an accommodation. Put that question to every candidate.
What should a laborer never do without the lead's OK?
Lift a hole cover or move a barricade, drop debris through a floor opening, pick up crumbling pipe wrap or ceiling texture, cut into a wall, or step past a line marking a regulated area. Teach the list on the first morning, and repeat it at the morning talk whenever the site changes, such as when a new floor opens up.
