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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 Specialist”

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

Related Technology & Tools

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

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