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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”

Connect gun chambers to electric detonating devices, and operate controls at panelboards, in order to detonate charges in guns or to ignite chemical charges.
Observe odometers, weight indicators, and instrument panels in trucks in order to position guns at predetermined points in wells.
Insert waterproof sealers, bullets, and/or powder charges into guns, and screw gun ports back into place.
Measure depths of drilled blast holes, using weighted tape measures.
Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary.
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.
Obtain samples of earth from sidewalls of well boreholes, using electrically exploding devices.
Set up and operate short-wave radio or field telephone equipment to transmit and receive blast information.
Verify detonation of charges by observing control panels, or by listening for the sounds of blasts.
Set up and operate equipment such as hoists, jackhammers, or drills, in order to bore charge holes.
Move and store inventories of explosives, loaded perforating guns, and other materials, according to established safety procedures.
Repair and service blasting, shooting, and automotive equipment, and electrical wiring and instruments, using 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.
Lower perforating guns into wells, using hoists; then use measuring devices and instrument panels to position guns in correct positions for taking samples.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Insert powder charges into chambers of sidewall sample-taking cylinders, and assemble cylinders, using special wrenches.
Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed.
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.
Clean, gauge, and lubricate gun ports.
Tie specified lengths of delaying fuses into patterns in order to time sequences of explosions.
Drive trucks to transport explosives and blasting equipment to blasting sites.
Compile and keep gun and explosives records in compliance with local and federal laws.

Related Technology & Tools

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

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