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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”

Connect electrical wire to primers, and cover charges or fill blast holes with clay, drill chips, sand, or other material.
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.
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.
Set up and operate short-wave radio or field telephone equipment to transmit and receive blast information.
Lay primacord between rows of charged blast holes, and tie cord into main lines to form blast patterns.
Observe odometers, weight indicators, and instrument panels in trucks in order to position guns at predetermined points in wells.
Move and store inventories of explosives, loaded perforating guns, and other materials, according to established safety procedures.
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.
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.
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.
Insert waterproof sealers, bullets, and/or powder charges into guns, and screw gun ports back into place.
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.
Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary.
Repair and service blasting, shooting, and automotive equipment, and electrical wiring and instruments, using hand tools.
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 equipment such as hoists, jackhammers, or drills, in order to bore charge holes.
Insert powder charges into chambers of sidewall sample-taking cylinders, and assemble cylinders, using special wrenches.
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.
Mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions.
Tie specified lengths of delaying fuses into patterns in order to time sequences of explosions.
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.
Drive trucks to transport explosives and blasting equipment to blasting sites.
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.

Related Technology & Tools

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

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