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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 “Gold Miner, Blasting”

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

Related Technology & Tools

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

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