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48% Chance of Automation

“Perforator” 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 “Perforator”

Verify detonation of charges by observing control panels, or by listening for the sounds of blasts.
Repair and service blasting, shooting, and automotive equipment, and electrical wiring and instruments, using hand tools.
Repair electrical instruments, using electricians' hand tools.
Measure depths of drilled blast holes, using weighted tape measures.
Obtain samples of earth from sidewalls of well boreholes, using electrically exploding devices.
Insert powder charges into chambers of sidewall sample-taking cylinders, and assemble cylinders, using special wrenches.
Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary.
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.
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.
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.
Clean, gauge, and lubricate gun ports.
Mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions.
Compile and keep gun and explosives records in compliance with local and federal laws.
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.
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.
Set up and operate equipment such as hoists, jackhammers, or drills, in order to bore charge holes.
Assemble and position equipment, explosives, and blasting caps in holes at specified depths, or load perforating guns or torpedoes with explosives.
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.
Observe odometers, weight indicators, and instrument panels in trucks in order to position guns at predetermined points in wells.
Tie specified lengths of delaying fuses into patterns in order to time sequences of explosions.
Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed.
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.
Lay primacord between rows of charged blast holes, and tie cord into main lines to form blast patterns.
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

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

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