Will “Explosive Man” be Replaced By Robots? 🤔

48% Chance of Automation

“Explosive Man” 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 “Explosive Man”

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

Related Technology & Tools

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

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