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“Explosives Handler” 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 Handler”

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

Related Technology & Tools

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

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