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48% Chance of Automation

“Tunnel Worker” 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 “Tunnel Worker”

Lower perforating guns into wells, using hoists; then use measuring devices and instrument panels to position guns in correct positions for taking samples.
Mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions.
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.
Repair electrical instruments, using electricians' hand tools.
Set up and operate short-wave radio or field telephone equipment to transmit and receive blast information.
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.
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.
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, 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.
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.
Insert waterproof sealers, bullets, and/or powder charges into guns, and screw gun ports back into place.
Cut specified lengths of primacord and attach primers to cord ends.
Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed.
Insert powder charges into chambers of sidewall sample-taking cylinders, and assemble cylinders, using special wrenches.
Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary.
Signal hoist operators to lower torpedoes or sample-taking guns into wells and to raise equipment for sampling from blast holes after detonation.
Set up and operate equipment such as hoists, jackhammers, or drills, in order to bore charge holes.
Connect gun chambers to electric detonating devices, and operate controls at panelboards, in order to detonate charges in guns or to ignite chemical charges.
Measure depths of drilled blast holes, using weighted tape measures.
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.
Assemble and position equipment, explosives, and blasting caps in holes at specified depths, or load perforating guns or torpedoes with explosives.
Clean, gauge, and lubricate gun ports.
Repair and service blasting, shooting, and automotive equipment, and electrical wiring and instruments, using hand tools.
Move and store inventories of explosives, loaded perforating guns, and other materials, according to established safety procedures.
Verify detonation of charges by observing control panels, or by listening for the sounds of blasts.

Related Technology & Tools

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

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