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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”

Insert waterproof sealers, bullets, and/or powder charges into guns, and screw gun ports back into place.
Compile and keep gun and explosives records in compliance with local and federal laws.
Connect gun chambers to electric detonating devices, and operate controls at panelboards, in order to detonate charges in guns or to ignite chemical charges.
Repair electrical instruments, using electricians' hand tools.
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 powder charges into chambers of sidewall sample-taking cylinders, and assemble cylinders, using special wrenches.
Clean, gauge, and lubricate gun ports.
Lower perforating guns into wells, using hoists; then use measuring devices and instrument panels to position guns in correct positions for taking samples.
Assemble and position equipment, explosives, and blasting caps in holes at specified depths, or load perforating guns or torpedoes with explosives.
Lay primacord between rows of charged blast holes, and tie cord into main lines to form blast patterns.
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.
Move and store inventories of explosives, loaded perforating guns, and other materials, according to established safety procedures.
Connect electrical wire to primers, and cover charges or fill blast holes with clay, drill chips, sand, or other material.
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.
Signal hoist operators to lower torpedoes or sample-taking guns into wells and to raise equipment for sampling from blast holes after detonation.
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.
Repair and service blasting, shooting, and automotive equipment, and electrical wiring and instruments, using hand tools.
Cut specified lengths of primacord and attach primers to cord ends.
Measure depths of drilled blast holes, using weighted tape measures.
Set up and operate equipment such as hoists, jackhammers, or drills, in order to bore charge holes.
Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary.
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.
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.
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.
Mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions.
Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed.

Related Technology & Tools

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

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