Will “Explosive Ordnance Disposal Specialist” be Replaced By Robots? 🤔

48% Chance of Automation

“Explosive Ordnance Disposal Specialist” 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.

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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 Ordnance Disposal Specialist”

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

Related Technology & Tools

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

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