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“Nitro Man” will probably not be replaced by robots.

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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 “Nitro Man”

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

Related Technology & Tools

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

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Microsoft Office
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Blaster's Tool and Supply Company Blaster's Calculator