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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 and service blasting, shooting, and automotive equipment, and electrical wiring and instruments, using hand tools.
Compile and keep gun and explosives records in compliance with local and federal laws.
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.
Mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions.
Tie specified lengths of delaying fuses into patterns in order to time sequences of explosions.
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.
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.
Set up and operate short-wave radio or field telephone equipment to transmit and receive blast information.
Lower perforating guns into wells, using hoists; then use measuring devices and instrument panels to position guns in correct positions for taking samples.
Observe odometers, weight indicators, and instrument panels in trucks in order to position guns at predetermined points in wells.
Cut specified lengths of primacord and attach primers to cord ends.
Insert waterproof sealers, bullets, and/or powder charges into guns, and screw gun ports back into place.
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.
Set up and operate equipment such as hoists, jackhammers, or drills, in order to bore charge holes.
Verify detonation of charges by observing control panels, or by listening for the sounds of blasts.
Obtain samples of earth from sidewalls of well boreholes, using electrically exploding devices.
Insert powder charges into chambers of sidewall sample-taking cylinders, and assemble cylinders, using special wrenches.
Lay primacord between rows of charged blast holes, and tie cord into main lines to form blast patterns.
Clean, gauge, and lubricate gun ports.
Connect electrical wire to primers, and cover charges or fill blast holes with clay, drill chips, sand, or other material.
Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed.
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.
Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary.
Measure depths of drilled blast holes, using weighted tape measures.
Drive trucks to transport explosives and blasting equipment to blasting sites.

Related Technology & Tools

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

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