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48% Chance of Automation

“Explosives Worker” 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 Worker”

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

Related Technology & Tools

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

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