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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 “Powderman”

Signal hoist operators to lower torpedoes or sample-taking guns into wells and to raise equipment for sampling from blast holes after detonation.
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 short-wave radio or field telephone equipment to transmit and receive blast information.
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.
Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed.
Observe odometers, weight indicators, and instrument panels in trucks in order to position guns at predetermined points in wells.
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.
Verify detonation of charges by observing control panels, or by listening for the sounds of 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.
Set up and operate equipment such as hoists, jackhammers, or drills, in order to bore charge holes.
Connect electrical wire to primers, and cover charges or fill blast holes with clay, drill chips, sand, or other material.
Tie specified lengths of delaying fuses into patterns in order to time sequences of explosions.
Clean, gauge, and lubricate gun ports.
Insert waterproof sealers, bullets, and/or powder charges into guns, and screw gun ports back into place.
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.
Measure depths of drilled blast holes, using weighted tape measures.
Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary.
Repair and service blasting, shooting, and automotive equipment, and electrical wiring and instruments, using hand tools.
Obtain samples of earth from sidewalls of well boreholes, using electrically exploding devices.
Compile and keep gun and explosives records in compliance with local and federal laws.
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.
Repair electrical instruments, using electricians' hand tools.
Drive trucks to transport explosives and blasting equipment to blasting sites.
Move and store inventories of explosives, loaded perforating guns, and other materials, according to established safety procedures.
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.
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.

Related Technology & Tools

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

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