Will “Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters” be Replaced By Robots? 🤔

48% Chance of Automation

“Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters” 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

Also Known As…

Tasks for “Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters”

Mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions.
Move and store inventories of explosives, loaded perforating guns, and other materials, according to established safety procedures.
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.
Connect gun chambers to electric detonating devices, and operate controls at panelboards, in order to detonate charges in guns or to ignite chemical charges.
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.
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.
Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed.
Lay primacord between rows of charged blast holes, and tie cord into main lines to form blast patterns.
Tie specified lengths of delaying fuses into patterns in order to time sequences of explosions.
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.
Clean, gauge, and lubricate gun ports.
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.
Observe odometers, weight indicators, and instrument panels in trucks in order to position guns at predetermined points in wells.
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.
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.
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.
Drive trucks to transport explosives and blasting equipment to blasting sites.
Insert powder charges into chambers of sidewall sample-taking cylinders, and assemble cylinders, using special wrenches.
Insert waterproof sealers, bullets, and/or powder charges into guns, and screw gun ports back into place.
Lower perforating guns into wells, using hoists; then use measuring devices and instrument panels to position guns in correct positions for taking samples.
Repair electrical instruments, using electricians' hand tools.
Assemble and position equipment, explosives, and blasting caps in holes at specified depths, or load perforating guns or torpedoes with explosives.
Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary.
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.

Related Technology & Tools

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

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