Will “Explosives Detonator” be Replaced By Robots? 🤔

48% Chance of Automation

“Explosives Detonator” 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.

Care to share? Click for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or XING. 👍

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 “Explosives Detonator”

Tie specified lengths of delaying fuses into patterns in order to time sequences of explosions.
Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary.
Measure depths of drilled blast holes, using weighted tape measures.
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.
Observe odometers, weight indicators, and instrument panels in trucks in order to position guns at predetermined points in wells.
Set up and operate equipment such as hoists, jackhammers, or drills, in order to bore charge holes.
Move and store inventories of explosives, loaded perforating guns, and other materials, according to established safety procedures.
Compile and keep gun and explosives records in compliance with local and federal laws.
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.
Cut specified lengths of primacord and attach primers to cord ends.
Lower perforating guns into wells, using hoists; then use measuring devices and instrument panels to position guns in correct positions for taking samples.
Connect electrical wire to primers, and cover charges or fill blast holes with clay, drill chips, sand, or other material.
Lay primacord between rows of charged blast holes, and tie cord into main lines to form blast patterns.
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 and service blasting, shooting, and automotive equipment, and electrical wiring and instruments, using hand tools.
Clean, gauge, and lubricate gun ports.
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.
Signal hoist operators to lower torpedoes or sample-taking guns into wells and to raise equipment for sampling from blast holes after detonation.
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.
Obtain samples of earth from sidewalls of well boreholes, using electrically exploding devices.
Assemble and position equipment, explosives, and blasting caps in holes at specified depths, or load perforating guns or torpedoes with explosives.
Verify detonation of charges by observing control panels, or by listening for the sounds of blasts.
Mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions.
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.
Drive trucks to transport explosives and blasting equipment to blasting sites.
Repair electrical instruments, using electricians' hand tools.

Related Technology & Tools

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

Blaster's Tool and Supply Company Blaster's Calculator
ESRI ArcGIS software
Microsoft Office
DetNet ViewShot
Autodesk AutoCAD
Datavis DBS Designer
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Word
Global Positioning System GPS software