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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”

Insert powder charges into chambers of sidewall sample-taking cylinders, and assemble cylinders, using special wrenches.
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.
Observe odometers, weight indicators, and instrument panels in trucks in order to position guns at predetermined points in wells.
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.
Repair and service blasting, shooting, and automotive equipment, and electrical wiring and instruments, using hand tools.
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.
Cut specified lengths of primacord and attach primers to cord ends.
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.
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.
Set up and operate short-wave radio or field telephone equipment to transmit and receive blast information.
Assemble and position equipment, explosives, and blasting caps in holes at specified depths, or load perforating guns or torpedoes with explosives.
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.
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.
Insert waterproof sealers, bullets, and/or powder charges into guns, and screw gun ports back into place.
Lay primacord between rows of charged blast holes, and tie cord into main lines to form blast patterns.
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.
Repair electrical instruments, using electricians' hand tools.
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.
Set up and operate equipment such as hoists, jackhammers, or drills, in order to bore charge holes.
Measure depths of drilled blast holes, using weighted tape measures.
Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary.
Lower perforating guns into wells, using hoists; then use measuring devices and instrument panels to position guns in correct positions for taking samples.
Obtain samples of earth from sidewalls of well boreholes, using electrically exploding devices.
Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed.

Related Technology & Tools

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

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Blaster's Tool and Supply Company Blaster's Calculator