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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”

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

Related Technology & Tools

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

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