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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”

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.
Set up and operate equipment such as hoists, jackhammers, or drills, in order to bore charge holes.
Set up and operate short-wave radio or field telephone equipment to transmit and receive blast information.
Move and store inventories of explosives, loaded perforating guns, and other materials, according to established safety procedures.
Measure depths of drilled blast holes, using weighted tape measures.
Repair electrical instruments, using electricians' hand tools.
Verify detonation of charges by observing control panels, or by listening for the sounds of blasts.
Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed.
Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary.
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.
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.
Insert powder charges into chambers of sidewall sample-taking cylinders, and assemble cylinders, using special wrenches.
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.
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.
Lay primacord between rows of charged blast holes, and tie cord into main lines to form blast patterns.
Connect electrical wire to primers, and cover charges or fill blast holes with clay, drill chips, sand, or other material.
Lower perforating guns into wells, using hoists; then use measuring devices and instrument panels to position guns in correct positions for taking samples.
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.
Repair and service blasting, shooting, and automotive equipment, and electrical wiring and instruments, using hand tools.
Mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions.
Tie specified lengths of delaying fuses into patterns in order to time sequences of explosions.
Connect gun chambers to electric detonating devices, and operate controls at panelboards, in order to detonate charges in guns or to ignite chemical charges.
Clean, gauge, and lubricate gun ports.
Compile and keep gun and explosives records in compliance with local and federal laws.
Cut specified lengths of primacord and attach primers to cord ends.
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.

Related Technology & Tools

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

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