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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 “Powder Worker”

Measure depths of drilled blast holes, using weighted tape measures.
Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed.
Obtain samples of earth from sidewalls of well boreholes, using electrically exploding devices.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions.
Tie specified lengths of delaying fuses into patterns in order to time sequences of explosions.
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.
Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary.
Insert powder charges into chambers of sidewall sample-taking cylinders, and assemble cylinders, using special wrenches.
Insert waterproof sealers, bullets, and/or powder charges into guns, and screw gun ports back into place.
Verify detonation of charges by observing control panels, or by listening for the sounds of blasts.
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.
Repair and service blasting, shooting, and automotive equipment, and electrical wiring and instruments, using hand tools.
Observe odometers, weight indicators, and instrument panels in trucks in order to position guns at predetermined points in wells.
Repair electrical instruments, using electricians' hand tools.
Connect electrical wire to primers, and cover charges or fill blast holes with clay, drill chips, sand, or other material.
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.
Lay primacord between rows of charged blast holes, and tie cord into main lines to form blast patterns.

Related Technology & Tools

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

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