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“Hard Rock 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 “Hard Rock Miner, Blasting”

Assemble and position equipment, explosives, and blasting caps in holes at specified depths, or load perforating guns or torpedoes with explosives.
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.
Measure depths of drilled blast holes, using weighted tape measures.
Move and store inventories of explosives, loaded perforating guns, and other materials, according to established safety procedures.
Clean, gauge, and lubricate gun ports.
Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary.
Repair electrical instruments, using electricians' hand tools.
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.
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.
Tie specified lengths of delaying fuses into patterns in order to time sequences of explosions.
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.
Insert powder charges into chambers of sidewall sample-taking cylinders, and assemble cylinders, using special wrenches.
Set up and operate equipment such as hoists, jackhammers, or drills, in order to bore charge holes.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Lower perforating guns into wells, using hoists; then use measuring devices and instrument panels to position guns in correct positions for taking samples.
Mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions.
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.
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 gun chambers to electric detonating devices, and operate controls at panelboards, in order to detonate charges in guns or to ignite chemical charges.

Related Technology & Tools

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

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