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48% Chance of Automation

“Explosive 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 Specialist”

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

Related Technology & Tools

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

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