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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”

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.
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.
Drive trucks to transport explosives and blasting equipment to blasting sites.
Clean, gauge, and lubricate gun ports.
Repair and service blasting, shooting, and automotive equipment, and electrical wiring and instruments, using hand tools.
Observe odometers, weight indicators, and instrument panels in trucks in order to position guns at predetermined points in wells.
Move and store inventories of explosives, loaded perforating guns, and other materials, according to established safety procedures.
Set up and operate equipment such as hoists, jackhammers, or drills, in order to bore charge holes.
Set up and operate short-wave radio or field telephone equipment to transmit and receive blast information.
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.
Tie specified lengths of delaying fuses into patterns in order to time sequences of explosions.
Obtain samples of earth from sidewalls of well boreholes, using electrically exploding devices.
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.
Mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions.
Connect gun chambers to electric detonating devices, and operate controls at panelboards, in order to detonate charges in guns or to ignite chemical charges.
Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary.
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.
Compile and keep gun and explosives records in compliance with local and federal laws.
Insert waterproof sealers, bullets, and/or powder charges into guns, and screw gun ports back into place.
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.
Cut specified lengths of primacord and attach primers to cord ends.
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.
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.
Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed.

Related Technology & Tools

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

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