Will “Perforator Operator” be Replaced By Robots? 🤔

48% Chance of Automation

“Perforator Operator” 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 “Perforator Operator”

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

Related Technology & Tools

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

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