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48% Chance of Automation

“Tunnel Man” 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 “Tunnel Man”

Repair electrical instruments, using electricians' hand tools.
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.
Assemble and position equipment, explosives, and blasting caps in holes at specified depths, or load perforating guns or torpedoes with explosives.
Signal hoist operators to lower torpedoes or sample-taking guns into wells and to raise equipment for sampling from blast holes after detonation.
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.
Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary.
Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed.
Connect gun chambers to electric detonating devices, and operate controls at panelboards, in order to detonate charges in guns or to ignite chemical charges.
Repair and service blasting, shooting, and automotive equipment, and electrical wiring and instruments, using hand tools.
Cut specified lengths of primacord and attach primers to cord ends.
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.
Mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions.
Set up and operate equipment such as hoists, jackhammers, or drills, in order to bore charge holes.
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.
Observe odometers, weight indicators, and instrument panels in trucks in order to position guns at predetermined points in wells.
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.
Compile and keep gun and explosives records in compliance with local and federal laws.
Measure depths of drilled blast holes, using weighted tape measures.
Clean, gauge, and lubricate gun ports.
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.
Drive trucks to transport explosives and blasting equipment to blasting sites.
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.
Tie specified lengths of delaying fuses into patterns in order to time sequences of explosions.

Related Technology & Tools

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

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