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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 Handler”

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

Related Technology & Tools

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

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