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“Gold Miner, Blasting” 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 “Gold Miner, Blasting”

Obtain samples of earth from sidewalls of well boreholes, using electrically exploding devices.
Mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions.
Observe odometers, weight indicators, and instrument panels in trucks in order to position guns at predetermined points in wells.
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.
Clean, gauge, and lubricate gun ports.
Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary.
Move and store inventories of explosives, loaded perforating guns, and other materials, according to established safety procedures.
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.
Lower perforating guns into wells, using hoists; then use measuring devices and instrument panels to position guns in correct positions for taking samples.
Repair electrical instruments, using electricians' hand tools.
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.
Signal hoist operators to lower torpedoes or sample-taking guns into wells and to raise equipment for sampling from blast holes after detonation.
Insert waterproof sealers, bullets, and/or powder charges into guns, and screw gun ports back into place.
Compile and keep gun and explosives records in compliance with local and federal laws.
Assemble and position equipment, explosives, and blasting caps in holes at specified depths, or load perforating guns or torpedoes with explosives.
Measure depths of drilled blast holes, using weighted tape measures.
Set up and operate short-wave radio or field telephone equipment to transmit and receive blast information.
Drive trucks to transport explosives and blasting equipment to blasting sites.
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.
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.
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 gun chambers to electric detonating devices, and operate controls at panelboards, in order to detonate charges in guns or to ignite chemical charges.
Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed.
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.

Related Technology & Tools

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

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