Will “Explosives Detonator” be Replaced By Robots? 🤔

48% Chance of Automation

“Explosives Detonator” will probably not be replaced by robots.

This job is ranked #292 out of #702. A higher ranking (i.e., a lower number) means the job is less likely to be replaced.

Care to share? Click for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or XING. 👍

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 “Explosives Detonator”

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

Related Technology & Tools

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

Microsoft Excel
Microsoft PowerPoint
ESRI ArcGIS software
Autodesk AutoCAD
DetNet ViewShot
Microsoft Office
Microsoft Word
Datavis DBS Designer
Global Positioning System GPS software
Blaster's Tool and Supply Company Blaster's Calculator