Will “Well Blower” be Replaced By Robots? 🤔

48% Chance of Automation

“Well Blower” will probably not be replaced by robots.

This job is ranked #292 out of #702. A higher ranking (i.e., a lower number) means the job is less likely to be replaced.

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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 “Well Blower”

Repair electrical instruments, using electricians' hand tools.
Insert powder charges into chambers of sidewall sample-taking cylinders, and assemble cylinders, using special wrenches.
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.
Drive trucks to transport explosives and blasting equipment to blasting sites.
Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary.
Assemble and position equipment, explosives, and blasting caps in holes at specified depths, or load perforating guns or torpedoes with explosives.
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.
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.
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.
Repair and service blasting, shooting, and automotive equipment, and electrical wiring and instruments, using hand tools.
Measure depths of drilled blast holes, using weighted tape measures.
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.
Signal hoist operators to lower torpedoes or sample-taking guns into wells and to raise equipment for sampling from blast holes after detonation.
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.
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.
Set up and operate short-wave radio or field telephone equipment to transmit and receive blast information.
Mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions.
Connect electrical wire to primers, and cover charges or fill blast holes with clay, drill chips, sand, or other material.
Move and store inventories of explosives, loaded perforating guns, and other materials, according to established safety procedures.
Connect gun chambers to electric detonating devices, and operate controls at panelboards, in order to detonate charges in guns or to ignite chemical charges.
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 equipment such as hoists, jackhammers, or drills, in order to bore charge holes.
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.
Cut specified lengths of primacord and attach primers to cord ends.

Related Technology & Tools

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

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