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“Metal 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 “Metal Miner, Blasting”

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.
Cut specified lengths of primacord and attach primers to cord ends.
Insert powder charges into chambers of sidewall sample-taking cylinders, and assemble cylinders, using special wrenches.
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.
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.
Connect gun chambers to electric detonating devices, and operate controls at panelboards, in order to detonate charges in guns or to ignite chemical charges.
Mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions.
Insert waterproof sealers, bullets, and/or powder charges into guns, and screw gun ports back into place.
Assemble and position equipment, explosives, and blasting caps in holes at specified depths, or load perforating guns or torpedoes with explosives.
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.
Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed.
Set up and operate short-wave radio or field telephone equipment to transmit and receive blast information.
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.
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.
Set up and operate equipment such as hoists, jackhammers, or drills, in order to bore charge holes.
Connect electrical wire to primers, and cover charges or fill blast holes with clay, drill chips, sand, or other material.
Obtain samples of earth from sidewalls of well boreholes, using electrically exploding devices.
Lower perforating guns into wells, using hoists; then use measuring devices and instrument panels to position guns in correct positions for taking samples.
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.
Verify detonation of charges by observing control panels, or by listening for the sounds of blasts.
Compile and keep gun and explosives records in compliance with local and federal laws.
Repair electrical instruments, using electricians' hand tools.
Observe odometers, weight indicators, and instrument panels in trucks in order to position guns at predetermined points in wells.
Signal hoist operators to lower torpedoes or sample-taking guns into wells and to raise equipment for sampling from blast holes after detonation.
Drive trucks to transport explosives and blasting equipment to blasting sites.

Related Technology & Tools

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

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Microsoft Excel
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Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft Office
Microsoft Word
DetNet ViewShot
Datavis DBS Designer