Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters

What Does a Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters Do?

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.

Day-to-Day Responsibilities

• 1Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed.
• 2Tie specified lengths of delaying fuses into patterns in order to time sequences of explosions.
• 3Place 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.
• 4Place explosive charges in holes or other spots; then detonate explosives to demolish structures or to loosen, remove, or displace earth, rock, or other materials.
• 5Insert, 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.
• 6Mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions.
• 7Compile and keep gun and explosives records in compliance with local and federal laws.
• 8Measure depths of drilled blast holes, using weighted tape measures.

Required Skills

• Active Listening
• Monitoring
• Critical Thinking
• Autodesk AutoCAD
• Blaster's Tool and Supply Company Blaster's Calculator
• Datavis DBS Designer
• DetNet ViewShot
• ESRI ArcGIS software
• Global positioning system GPS software
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Office software
• Microsoft Outlook
• Microsoft PowerPoint

Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters Salary