Will “Mica Miner, Blasting” be Replaced By Robots? 🤔

48% Chance of Automation

“Mica Miner, Blasting” will probably not be replaced by robots.

This job is ranked #292 out of #702. A higher ranking (i.e., a lower number) means the job is less likely to be replaced.

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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 “Mica Miner, Blasting”

Tie specified lengths of delaying fuses into patterns in order to time sequences of 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.
Signal hoist operators to lower torpedoes or sample-taking guns into wells and to raise equipment for sampling from blast holes after detonation.
Clean, gauge, and lubricate gun ports.
Repair and service blasting, shooting, and automotive equipment, and electrical wiring and instruments, using hand tools.
Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary.
Set up and operate equipment such as hoists, jackhammers, or drills, in order to bore charge holes.
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.
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.
Drive trucks to transport explosives and blasting equipment to blasting sites.
Repair electrical instruments, using electricians' hand tools.
Obtain samples of earth from sidewalls of well boreholes, using electrically exploding devices.
Verify detonation of charges by observing control panels, or by listening for the sounds of blasts.
Move and store inventories of explosives, loaded perforating guns, and other materials, according to established safety procedures.
Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Connect gun chambers to electric detonating devices, and operate controls at panelboards, in order to detonate charges in guns or to ignite chemical charges.
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.
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.
Insert waterproof sealers, bullets, and/or powder charges into guns, and screw gun ports back into place.
Set up and operate short-wave radio or field telephone equipment to transmit and receive blast information.

Related Technology & Tools

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

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