Will “Shaft Sinker” be Replaced By Robots? 🤔

48% Chance of Automation

“Shaft Sinker” 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.

Care to share? Click for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or XING. 👍

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 “Shaft Sinker”

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.
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.
Signal hoist operators to lower torpedoes or sample-taking guns into wells and to raise equipment for sampling from blast holes after detonation.
Connect gun chambers to electric detonating devices, and operate controls at panelboards, in order to detonate charges in guns or to ignite chemical charges.
Mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions.
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 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.
Insert waterproof sealers, bullets, and/or powder charges into guns, and screw gun ports back into place.
Connect electrical wire to primers, and cover charges or fill blast holes with clay, drill chips, sand, or other material.
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.
Obtain samples of earth from sidewalls of well boreholes, using electrically exploding devices.
Clean, gauge, and lubricate gun ports.
Lay primacord between rows of charged blast holes, and tie cord into main lines to form blast patterns.
Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed.
Observe odometers, weight indicators, and instrument panels in trucks in order to position guns at predetermined points in wells.
Lower perforating guns into wells, using hoists; then use measuring devices and instrument panels to position guns in correct positions for taking samples.
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.
Repair electrical instruments, using electricians' hand tools.
Set up and operate equipment such as hoists, jackhammers, or drills, in order to bore charge holes.
Repair and service blasting, shooting, and automotive equipment, and electrical wiring and instruments, using hand tools.
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.
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.
Verify detonation of charges by observing control panels, or by listening for the sounds of blasts.
Measure depths of drilled blast holes, using weighted tape measures.
Tie specified lengths of delaying fuses into patterns in order to time sequences of explosions.

Related Technology & Tools

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

Microsoft Word
Microsoft Office
Microsoft Excel
Datavis DBS Designer
DetNet ViewShot
Global Positioning System GPS software
Microsoft PowerPoint
Autodesk AutoCAD
Blaster's Tool and Supply Company Blaster's Calculator
ESRI ArcGIS software