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48% Chance of Automation

“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”

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

Related Technology & Tools

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

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