Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters

Overview

Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters has a national median salary of $61,390 per year, with 0% projected job growth from 2025–2035. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical education needed to enter this occupation.

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.

Work Values

• Support
• Independence
• Working Conditions

Work Styles

Responsibilities

Tasks

• Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed.
• 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.

Work Activities

• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Getting Information
• Documenting/Recording Information
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
• Performing General Physical Activities
• Handling and Moving Objects
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
• Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge

Detailed Work Activities

• Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• Performing general physical activities includes doing activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
• Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

T-A-S-K

Technology, Abilities, Skills & Knowledge

Education

Education Levels of Current Workers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical education needed to enter this occupation. The chart below shows the highest level of education held by people already working in this field, ages 25 and older. It includes workers who earned more education than the job requires and workers who entered the field under earlier requirements, so the largest bar is not the entry requirement. For example, if someone finished an associate's degree and then started working in this field, they are counted under “Associate's degree” here, but the job itself typically asks for a high school diploma or equivalent.

Certificates

Certifications applicable to Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters:

Video Resources