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“Shotblaster” 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 “Shotblaster”

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

Related Technology & Tools

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

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