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”

Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed.
Set up and operate short-wave radio or field telephone equipment to transmit and receive blast information.
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.
Clean, gauge, and lubricate gun ports.
Drive trucks to transport explosives and blasting equipment to blasting sites.
Assemble and position equipment, explosives, and blasting caps in holes at specified depths, or load perforating guns or torpedoes with explosives.
Repair electrical instruments, using electricians' hand tools.
Verify detonation of charges by observing control panels, or by listening for the sounds of blasts.
Cut specified lengths of primacord and attach primers to cord ends.
Tie specified lengths of delaying fuses into patterns in order to time sequences of explosions.
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.
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.
Lower perforating guns into wells, using hoists; then use measuring devices and instrument panels to position guns in correct positions for taking samples.
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.
Connect gun chambers to electric detonating devices, and operate controls at panelboards, in order to detonate charges in guns or to ignite chemical charges.
Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary.
Observe odometers, weight indicators, and instrument panels in trucks in order to position guns at predetermined points in wells.
Lay primacord between rows of charged blast holes, and tie cord into main lines to form blast patterns.
Measure depths of drilled blast holes, using weighted tape measures.
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.
Mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions.
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 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.
Set up and operate equipment such as hoists, jackhammers, or drills, in order to bore charge holes.
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.

Related Technology & Tools

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

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