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48% Chance of Automation

“Tunnel Worker” 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 Worker”

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

Related Technology & Tools

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

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