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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 Technician”

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

Related Technology & Tools

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

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