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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 “Explosive Technician”

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

Related Technology & Tools

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

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