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48% Chance of Automation

“Explosive Ordnance Specialist” 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 Ordnance Specialist”

Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed.
Insert powder charges into chambers of sidewall sample-taking cylinders, and assemble cylinders, using special wrenches.
Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary.
Move and store inventories of explosives, loaded perforating guns, and other materials, according to established safety procedures.
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.
Connect electrical wire to primers, and cover charges or fill blast holes with clay, drill chips, sand, or other material.
Tie specified lengths of delaying fuses into patterns in order to time sequences of explosions.
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 waterproof sealers, bullets, and/or powder charges into guns, and screw gun ports back into place.
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.
Obtain samples of earth from sidewalls of well boreholes, using electrically exploding devices.
Verify detonation of charges by observing control panels, or by listening for the sounds of blasts.
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.
Repair and service blasting, shooting, and automotive equipment, and electrical wiring and instruments, using hand tools.
Observe odometers, weight indicators, and instrument panels in trucks in order to position guns at predetermined points in wells.
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.
Cut specified lengths of primacord and attach primers to cord ends.
Repair electrical instruments, using electricians' hand tools.
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.
Assemble and position equipment, explosives, and blasting caps in holes at specified depths, or load perforating guns or torpedoes with explosives.
Mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions.
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.
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

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

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