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48% Chance of Automation

“Explosive Man” will probably not be replaced by robots.

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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 “Explosive Man”

Tie specified lengths of delaying fuses into patterns in order to time sequences of explosions.
Mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions.
Lay primacord between rows of charged blast holes, and tie cord into main lines to form blast patterns.
Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed.
Repair electrical instruments, using electricians' 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.
Cut specified lengths of primacord and attach primers to cord ends.
Insert waterproof sealers, bullets, and/or powder charges into guns, and screw gun ports back into place.
Connect electrical wire to primers, and cover charges or fill blast holes with clay, drill chips, sand, or other material.
Move and store inventories of explosives, loaded perforating guns, and other materials, according to established safety procedures.
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.
Obtain samples of earth from sidewalls of well boreholes, using electrically exploding devices.
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.
Measure depths of drilled blast holes, using weighted tape measures.
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.
Observe odometers, weight indicators, and instrument panels in trucks in order to position guns at predetermined points in wells.
Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary.
Assemble and position equipment, explosives, and blasting caps in holes at specified depths, or load perforating guns or torpedoes with explosives.
Repair and service blasting, shooting, and automotive equipment, and electrical wiring and instruments, using hand tools.
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.
Clean, gauge, and lubricate gun ports.
Insert powder charges into chambers of sidewall sample-taking cylinders, and assemble cylinders, using special wrenches.
Verify detonation of charges by observing control panels, or by listening for the sounds of blasts.
Drive trucks to transport explosives and blasting equipment to blasting sites.
Compile and keep gun and explosives records in compliance with local and federal laws.
Lower perforating guns into wells, using hoists; then use measuring devices and instrument panels to position guns in correct positions for taking samples.
Set up and operate short-wave radio or field telephone equipment to transmit and receive blast information.

Related Technology & Tools

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

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