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48% Chance of Automation

“Pillar Worker” 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 “Pillar Worker”

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

Related Technology & Tools

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

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