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“Powder Worker” 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 “Powder Worker”

Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary.
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.
Connect electrical wire to primers, and cover charges or fill blast holes with clay, drill chips, sand, or other material.
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.
Repair electrical instruments, using electricians' hand tools.
Tie specified lengths of delaying fuses into patterns in order to time sequences of explosions.
Drive trucks to transport explosives and blasting equipment to blasting sites.
Set up and operate short-wave radio or field telephone equipment to transmit and receive blast information.
Clean, gauge, and lubricate gun ports.
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.
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.
Assemble and position equipment, explosives, and blasting caps in holes at specified depths, or load perforating guns or torpedoes with explosives.
Insert powder charges into chambers of sidewall sample-taking cylinders, and assemble cylinders, using special wrenches.
Compile and keep gun and explosives records in compliance with local and federal laws.
Measure depths of drilled blast holes, using weighted tape measures.
Mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions.
Insert waterproof sealers, bullets, and/or powder charges into guns, and screw gun ports back into place.
Connect gun chambers to electric detonating devices, and operate controls at panelboards, in order to detonate charges in guns or to ignite chemical charges.
Repair and service blasting, shooting, and automotive equipment, and electrical wiring and instruments, using 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.
Move and store inventories of explosives, loaded perforating guns, and other materials, according to established safety procedures.
Cut specified lengths of primacord and attach primers to cord ends.
Obtain samples of earth from sidewalls of well boreholes, using electrically exploding devices.
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.

Related Technology & Tools

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

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