View Alert

Statewide occupation search

Sort your search results or select and compare details of two occupations. Find out if an occupation is in demand or not in demand in your local area, at Learn about an occupation.

Print

Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters

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.
Related: Continuous Mining Machine Operators  Earth Drillers  Excavating & Loading Machine & Dragline Operators, Surface Mining  Helpers--Extraction Workers  Rotary Drill Operators, Oil & Gas 
Industries: Government  Wholesale/Commercial Sales  Construction  Manufacturing  Mining, Oil, & Gas 

  • Summary

  • Details

    • Work Activities

    • Tie specified lengths of delaying fuses into patterns in order to time sequences of explosions.
    • Repair and service blasting, shooting, and automotive equipment, and electrical wiring and instruments, using hand tools.
    • 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.
    • Verify detonation of charges by observing control panels, or by listening for the sounds of blasts.
    • Mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions.
    • Assemble and position equipment, explosives, and blasting caps in holes at specified depths, or load perforating guns or torpedoes with explosives.
    • 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 waterproof sealers, bullets, and/or powder charges into guns, and screw gun ports back into place.
    • 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.
    • Clean, gauge, and lubricate gun ports.
    • 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.
    • Move and store inventories of explosives, loaded perforating guns, and other materials, according to established safety procedures.
    • Cut specified lengths of primacord and attach primers to cord ends.
    • Insert waterproof sealers, bullets, and/or powder charges into guns, and screw gun ports back into place.
    • Set up and operate short-wave radio or field telephone equipment to transmit and receive blast information.
    • Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed.
    • Lower perforating guns into wells, using hoists; then use measuring devices and instrument panels to position guns in correct positions for taking samples.
    • Clean, gauge, and lubricate gun ports.
    • 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.
    • Assemble and position equipment, explosives, and blasting caps in holes at specified depths, or load perforating guns or torpedoes with explosives.
    • Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed.
    • Measure depths of drilled blast holes, using weighted tape measures.
    • Connect electrical wire to primers, and cover charges or fill blast holes with clay, drill chips, sand, or other material.
    • Lay primacord between rows of charged blast holes, and tie cord into main lines to form blast patterns.
    • Assemble and position equipment, explosives, and blasting caps in holes at specified depths, or load perforating guns or torpedoes with explosives.
    • Drive trucks to transport explosives and blasting equipment to blasting sites.
    • 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.
    • Move and store inventories of explosives, loaded perforating guns, and other materials, according to established safety procedures.
    • Compile and keep gun and explosives records in compliance with local and federal laws.
    • Cut specified lengths of primacord and attach primers to cord ends.
    • Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary.
    • Lower perforating guns into wells, using hoists; then use measuring devices and instrument panels to position guns in correct positions for taking samples.
    • 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.

    Skills

    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.

    Abilities

    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.

    Knowledge

    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

    Education

    Education
    High school diploma or equivalent
    Work Experience
    Less than 5 years work experience
    Training
    More than 1 year on-the-job training
    Education and Training Opportunities

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    77210/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    37.12/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    4,800
    Yearly Projected Openings
    400

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Integrity
    • Self Control
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Adaptability/Flexibility

    Tools

    • Air compressors
    • Ammeters
    • Ammonium nitrate and fuel oil ANFO loading machinery
    • Backhoes
    • Blaster tools
    • Blasting caps
    • Cable reels
    • Calibrated resistance measuring equipment
    • Calipers
    • Capsule guns
    • Cargo trucks
    • Casing guns
    • Circuit tester
    • Clinometers
    • Combination wrenches
    • Completion bull plugs
    • Compressed air gun
    • Conduit benders
    • Conventional truck cranes
    • Core drills
    • Cylinder gauge
    • Densitometers
    • Depth gauges
    • Depth indicators
    • Detonator box
    • Detonators
    • Dewatering pumps
    • Diesel generators
    • Digital camcorders or video cameras
    • Dollies
    • Downhole fishing poles
    • Drill collars
    • Ear plugs
    • End cut pliers
    • Explosive initiators
    • Explosive loading machinery spare parts or accessories
    • Explosives fuses
    • Fish tape
    • Flags or accessories
    • Forklifts
    • Galvanometers
    • Global positioning system GPS receiver
    • Goggles
    • Grab hooks
    • Grease guns
    • Grouting pump
    • Hacksaw
    • Hammer drills
    • Hard hats
    • Hazardous materials cabinets
    • Hoists
    • Hydraulic rock drills
    • Industrial funnels
    • Knife blades
    • Laboratory bailers
    • Ladders
    • Levels
    • Linemans pliers
    • Logging instruments for water wells
    • Longnose pliers
    • Makeup tongs
    • Measuring rods
    • Mechanical balances
    • Megohmmeters
    • Micrometers
    • Mud mixers
    • Mud pumps
    • Multimeters
    • Notebook computers
    • Ohmmeters
    • Open end wrenches
    • Pallet trucks
    • Personal computers
    • Phasemeters
    • Pick or place robots
    • Plaster or mortar mixers
    • Plumb bobs
    • Pneumatic drill
    • Pneumatic hammer
    • Pocket knives
    • Pressure indicators
    • Prisms
    • Protective gloves
    • Pull spring balances
    • Radio frequency transmitters or receivers
    • Rangefinders
    • Remote reading thermometers
    • Respirators
    • Rotary drills
    • Rubber mallet
    • Safety glasses
    • Safety harnesses or belts
    • Sand control screens
    • Scientific calculator
    • Screwdrivers
    • Seismic recorders or seismographs
    • Shale shakers
    • Shears
    • Signal generators
    • Sirens
    • Skid steer loaders
    • Slings
    • Soil core sampling apparatus
    • Special hoses
    • Stonemason chisel
    • Stripping tools
    • Strobe or warning lights
    • Submerged arc welding machine
    • Tablet computers
    • Tampers
    • Tape measures
    • Tie down anchors
    • Time delay fuses
    • Tongue and groove pliers
    • Track cranes
    • Traffic cones or delineators
    • Trenching machines
    • Tweezers
    • Two way radios
    • Utility knives
    • Viscosimeters
    • Voltage or current meters
    • Water analyzers
    • Water pumps
    • Water samplers
    • Wattmeters
    • Wedges
    • Well testing downhole tools
    • Wire brushes
    • Wire connectors
    • Wire cutters
    • Wire lug crimping tool
    • Workshop cranes

    Technology

    • Analytical or scientific software
    • Computer aided design CAD software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Geographic information system
    • Mobile location based services software
    • Office suite software
    • Presentation software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Find Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters jobs Education and Training for Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters
Powered by Monster and You
Privacy policy | Terms of use | Equal opportunity, complaint and discrimination information | Contact us
WorkSource Products and Services Complaint Information | Federal USDOL and other funding
SecureAccess Washington | A proud partner of the American job center network | Access Washington
© 2025 WorkSource