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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 “Skip Miner, Blasting”

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

Related Technology & Tools

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

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