Will “Shale Miner, Blasting” be Replaced By Robots? 🤔

48% Chance of Automation

“Shale Miner, Blasting” 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 “Shale Miner, Blasting”

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

Related Technology & Tools

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

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