Will “Miner” be Replaced By Robots? 🤔

48% Chance of Automation

“Miner” 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 “Miner”

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.
Insert waterproof sealers, bullets, and/or powder charges into guns, and screw gun ports back into place.
Set up and operate equipment such as hoists, jackhammers, or drills, in order to bore charge holes.
Verify detonation of charges by observing control panels, or by listening for the sounds of blasts.
Assemble and position equipment, explosives, and blasting caps in holes at specified depths, or load perforating guns or torpedoes with explosives.
Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary.
Compile and keep gun and explosives records in compliance with local and federal laws.
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.
Drive trucks to transport explosives and blasting equipment to blasting sites.
Connect electrical wire to primers, and cover charges or fill blast holes with clay, drill chips, sand, or other material.
Connect gun chambers to electric detonating devices, and operate controls at panelboards, in order to detonate charges in guns or to ignite chemical charges.
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.
Mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions.
Obtain samples of earth from sidewalls of well boreholes, using electrically exploding devices.
Cut specified lengths of primacord and attach primers to cord ends.
Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed.
Clean, gauge, and lubricate gun ports.
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 powder charges into chambers of sidewall sample-taking cylinders, and assemble cylinders, using special wrenches.
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.
Lay primacord between rows of charged blast holes, and tie cord into main lines to form blast patterns.
Signal hoist operators to lower torpedoes or sample-taking guns into wells and to raise equipment for sampling from blast holes after detonation.
Measure depths of drilled blast holes, using weighted tape measures.
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.
Lower perforating guns into wells, using hoists; then use measuring devices and instrument panels to position guns in correct positions for taking samples.

Related Technology & Tools

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

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