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“Muck 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 “Muck 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.
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.
Move and store inventories of explosives, loaded perforating guns, and other materials, according to established safety procedures.
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.
Obtain samples of earth from sidewalls of well boreholes, using electrically exploding devices.
Cut specified lengths of primacord and attach primers to cord ends.
Tie specified lengths of delaying fuses into patterns in order to time sequences of explosions.
Repair electrical instruments, using electricians' hand tools.
Set up and operate short-wave radio or field telephone equipment to transmit and receive blast information.
Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary.
Repair and service blasting, shooting, and automotive equipment, and electrical wiring and instruments, using hand tools.
Assemble and position equipment, explosives, and blasting caps in holes at specified depths, or load perforating guns or torpedoes with explosives.
Observe odometers, weight indicators, and instrument panels in trucks in order to position guns at predetermined points in wells.
Compile and keep gun and explosives records in compliance with local and federal laws.
Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed.
Mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions.
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.
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.
Insert waterproof sealers, bullets, and/or powder charges into guns, and screw gun ports back into place.
Measure depths of drilled blast holes, using weighted tape measures.
Lay primacord between rows of charged blast holes, and tie cord into main lines to form blast patterns.
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.
Verify detonation of charges by observing control panels, or by listening for the sounds of blasts.
Signal hoist operators to lower torpedoes or sample-taking guns into wells and to raise equipment for sampling from blast holes after detonation.
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.

Related Technology & Tools

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

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