What Do Explosives Workers Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

Stan T.Career, Job Description2 Comments

Job Description, Daily Responsibilities, and Work Life

Explosives Workers

Explosives Workers 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.

Salary
$51040
Becoming One
Easy
Education
No degree required
Job Satisfaction
Low
Job Growth

Personality
Interest Match



Job Description

Job Description

Explosives Workers 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. They also examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed.

Other tasks include:

  • Tie specified lengths of delaying fuses into patterns in order to time sequences of explosions.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions.
  • Compile and keep gun and explosives records in compliance with local and federal laws.

We asked Explosives Workers how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

Job satisfaction

63%

How meaningful is this job

56%


63% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 56% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.



Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, Explosives Workers compile and keep gun and explosives records in compliance with local and federal laws. They 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.
  • Drive trucks to transport explosives and blasting equipment to blasting sites.
  • 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.
  • Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary.

We asked some Explosives Workers a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job? 78% said yes
How important is it to work in a team in this job? 46% said very important
Do you have group discussions everyday in this job? 88% said yes
Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job? 13% said yes
Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job? 0% said yes
Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job? 67% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Explosives Workers also maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary. They may also connect gun chambers to electric detonating devices, and operate controls at panelboards, in order to detonate charges in guns or to ignite chemical charges.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Explosives Workers Signal hoist operators to lower torpedoes or sample-taking guns into wells and to raise equipment for sampling from blast holes after detonation. They might also Tie specified lengths of delaying fuses into patterns in order to time sequences of explosions.

In addition, they Lower perforating guns into wells, using hoists; then use measuring devices and instrument panels to position guns in correct positions for taking samples.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Move and store inventories of explosives, loaded perforating guns, and other materials, according to established safety procedures.

To some Explosives Workers, it is also their responsibility to Insert powder charges into chambers of sidewall sample-taking cylinders, and assemble cylinders, using special wrenches.


Working life

Working hours

More than 40 hours per week

Working schedule

Irregular work schedule that changes depending on weather conditions, customer demand or contract duration.

In a typical work week as an Explosives Worker, Ordnance Handling Expert and Blaster, you can expect to work more than 40 hours per week.

Do Explosives Workers work in an office-style work environment?

Never
59%


Once a year
23%


Do Explosives Workers work outdoors?

Every day
92%


Once a week
8%



Is this right for me

Best personality for this career

The Builders and The Thinkers

People who are suitable for this job tends to like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery..

They also like working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

You can read more about these career personality types here.



Learn more about Explosives Workers

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Related to Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts and Blasters Job Description

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Additional resources


2 Comments on “What Do Explosives Workers Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)”

  1. It is odd to me that this type of job has a low growth rate. It seems like more and more construction sites will need explosives to get through soil quickly. I wonder if you would need to provide the explosives to the job site. It might be hard to figure out where to get more explosive suppliers.

  2. It’s really cool that 56% of explosives experts realize how meaningful their job is. When my uncle was younger he was an explosives expert, he would set off avalanches so they wouldn’t go off accidentally, and he always talks about how much he loved that job. I hope that more explosives experts realize how important their job is and that they help keep people safe.

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