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48% Chance of Automation

“Explosives Detonator” 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 “Explosives Detonator”

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

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