Will “Driftman” be Replaced By Robots? 🤔

48% Chance of Automation

“Driftman” will probably not be replaced by robots.

This job is ranked #292 out of #702. A higher ranking (i.e., a lower number) means the job is less likely to be replaced.

Care to share? Click for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or XING. 👍

Job Description

Place and detonate explosives to demolish structures or to loosen, remove, or displace earth, rock, or other materials. May perform specialized handling, storage, and accounting procedures. Includes seismograph shooters.

Job Details

The SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) code is 47-5031.00
The Mean Annual Wage in the U.S. is $ 54,580.00
The Mean Hourly Wage is $ 26.00
Currently, there are 6,310 people on this job

☝️ Information based on the reference occupation “Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters”.

Also Known As…

Tasks for “Driftman”

Clean, gauge, and lubricate gun ports.
Assemble and position equipment, explosives, and blasting caps in holes at specified depths, or load perforating guns or torpedoes with explosives.
Verify detonation of charges by observing control panels, or by listening for the sounds of blasts.
Repair electrical instruments, using electricians' hand tools.
Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary.
Tie specified lengths of delaying fuses into patterns in order to time sequences of explosions.
Measure depths of drilled blast holes, using weighted tape measures.
Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed.
Set up and operate equipment such as hoists, jackhammers, or drills, in order to bore charge holes.
Connect gun chambers to electric detonating devices, and operate controls at panelboards, in order to detonate charges in guns or to ignite chemical charges.
Signal hoist operators to lower torpedoes or sample-taking guns into wells and to raise equipment for sampling from blast holes after detonation.
Place explosive charges in holes or other spots; then detonate explosives to demolish structures or to loosen, remove, or displace earth, rock, or other materials.
Light fuses, drop detonating devices into wells or boreholes, or activate firing devices with plungers, dials, or buttons, in order to set off single or multiple blasts.
Insert powder charges into chambers of sidewall sample-taking cylinders, and assemble cylinders, using special wrenches.
Insert waterproof sealers, bullets, and/or powder charges into guns, and screw gun ports back into place.
Insert, pack, and pour explosives, such as dynamite, ammonium nitrate, black powder, or slurries into blast holes; then shovel drill cuttings, admit water into boreholes, and tamp material to compact charges.
Connect electrical wire to primers, and cover charges or fill blast holes with clay, drill chips, sand, or other material.
Lower perforating guns into wells, using hoists; then use measuring devices and instrument panels to position guns in correct positions for taking samples.
Lay primacord between rows of charged blast holes, and tie cord into main lines to form blast patterns.
Cut specified lengths of primacord and attach primers to cord ends.
Mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions.
Set up and operate short-wave radio or field telephone equipment to transmit and receive blast information.
Move and store inventories of explosives, loaded perforating guns, and other materials, according to established safety procedures.
Compile and keep gun and explosives records in compliance with local and federal laws.
Observe odometers, weight indicators, and instrument panels in trucks in order to position guns at predetermined points in wells.
Repair and service blasting, shooting, and automotive equipment, and electrical wiring and instruments, using hand tools.
Place safety cones around blast areas to alert other workers of danger zones, and signal workers as necessary to ensure that they clear blast sites prior to explosions.
Obtain samples of earth from sidewalls of well boreholes, using electrically exploding devices.
Drive trucks to transport explosives and blasting equipment to blasting sites.

Related Technology & Tools

Non-electric delay detonators
Ring gauges
Instantaneous electrical detonators
Explosives time delay fuses
Blasthole drills
Lowering hooks
Digital ohmmeters
Hoisting equipment
End cutting pliers
Hydraulic pressure gauges
Rubber mallets
Flashing warning lights
Day boxes
Wire cutting tools
Digital voltmeters
Precision tweezers
Pneumatic drilling equipment
Blast hole tubing
Wire loop pullers
Wheeled wire dispensers
Long period delay detonators
Laptop computers
Discharge hoses
Avalaunchers
Tractor-trailer trucks
Shock tube detonators
Folding knives
Electronic shock tube initiators
Remote firing devices
Overhead cranes
Millivoltmeters
Mobile radios
Tie-down equipment
Explosives handling robots
Wood wedges
Portable signal generators
Longnose pliers
Tongue and groove pliers
Padded gloves
Hole savers
Seismic activity recorders
Stakebed trucks
Hand chisels
Safety fuses
Electricians' knives
Digital wattmeters
Surface connector blocks
Protective ear plugs
Plastic plugs
Surveyors leveling rods
Non-contact voltage testers
Depth measurement gauges
Ammonium nitrate fuel oil ANFO loaders
Right angle prisms
Coated gloves
Explosive blasting caps
Equipment dollies
Grappling hooks
Wire strippers
Transport trucks
Safety goggles
Loading poles
Short-wave radios
Dewatering pumps
Digital multimeters
Vernier calipers
Insulated pliers
Hacksaws
Remote blasting systems
Pallet jacks
Test lamps
Fixed blade knives
Explosives funnels
Tamping rods
Warning sirens
Extension ladders
Fuse testers
Protective safety glasses
Portable air compressors
Laser rangefinders
Galvanometers
Conduit bending tools
Meggers
Safety harnesses
Perforating casing guns
Perforating capsule guns
Hard hats
Portable cranes
Clinometers
Blasting machines
Jackhammers
Detonating cords
Digital calculators
Digital ammeters
Weighted tape measures
Balance scales
Digital micrometers
Blasting cap crimpers
Bore hole thermometers
Short period delay detonators
Phase rotation meters
Torpedo levels
Phillips head screwdrivers
Crescent wrenches
Stake flags
Safety cones
Hand shears
Protective respirators
Wire cleaning brushes
Temperature data loggers
Plumb bobs
Harpoon retrievers
Fuse cutters
Resistance testers
Spring scales
Forklifts
Electrical circuit testers
Personal computers

DetNet ViewShot
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office
Blaster's Tool and Supply Company Blaster's Calculator
Microsoft Word
Microsoft PowerPoint
Autodesk AutoCAD
ESRI ArcGIS software
Global Positioning System GPS software
Datavis DBS Designer