Construction and Extraction
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.
MAY 2025 · OCCUPATIONAL WAGES
A wage reference for United States.
Published wage percentiles describe a distribution within the source occupation group. They provide context for a career decision; employer packages and job offers have their own terms.
Source wage group: Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters
This wage group may include multiple detailed occupations. The figures are for the source group, which may be broader than Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters. They are not an exact-title, employer, experience or seniority match.
May 2025 · USD · United States. Annual and hourly figures are shown only when the source publishes them; neither is calculated from the other.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational wage data, distributed through the O*NET® OnLine service.
Median annual wage$61,390USD per year · Published 50th percentile
Median hourly wage$29.51USD per hour · Published 50th percentile
Annual wage thresholds
USD per year
Hourly wage thresholds
USD per hour
| Percentile | Annual wage (USD/year) | Hourly wage (USD/hour) |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $40,480 | $19.46 |
| 25th | $49,630 | $23.86 |
| 50th · Median | $61,390 | $29.51 |
| 75th | $80,370 | $38.64 |
| 90th | $99,360 | $47.77 |
“≥” means at least the published amount; “≤” means at most that amount. These are bounds, not exact values. “Not published” means the source did not provide that figure. Occupational wages follow the source definition and do not establish an employer’s base salary, equity or total compensation.
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THE WORK BEHIND THE TITLE
What this career involves.
Occupation definitions describe common work. Responsibilities and requirements vary by employer and specific job.
Selected title examples
Aircraft Ordnance TechnicianAmmunition and Explosives HandlerBlast DrillerBlast Hole DrillerBlast SetterBlast TechnicianBlasterBlasting Clay MinerBlasting Coal MinerBlasting Contract ManBlasting Contract MinerBlasting Entry Specialist
Expand more title examples (48)
Blasting EntrymanBlasting Gang MinerBlasting MinerBomb TechnicianCharge Entry SpecialistCharge SpecialistChargerCoal ShooterCompany Blasting MinerCopper Blasting MinerDemolition ExpertDemolition WorkerDemolitionistDobie ManDobie WorkerDriftmanDynamite ShooterDynamiterEfficiency Blasting MinerEquipment OperatorExplosive Detection Canine Handler (Explosive Detection K9 Handler)Explosive ExpertExplosive ManExplosive Ordinance Disposal SpecialistExplosive Ordnance Disposal SpecialistExplosive Ordnance Disposal TechnicianExplosive Ordnance HandlerExplosive Ordnance SpecialistExplosive Ordnance TechnicianExplosive SpecialistExplosive TechnicianExplosives and Weapons Technical InstructorExplosives DetonatorExplosives HandlerExplosives WorkerFirerFuse CutterGold Blasting MinerGun PerforatorGun Perforator LoaderHard Rock Blasting MinerHigh ScalerHydraulic Blasting MinerIron Blasting MinerLead Blasting MinerLode Blasting MinerMetal Blasting MinerMica Blasting Miner
Typical 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.
- Mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions.
Expand more tasks (21)
- Compile and keep gun and explosives records in compliance with local and federal laws.
- 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.
- Verify detonation of charges by observing control panels, or by listening for the sounds of blasts.
- Move and store inventories of explosives, loaded perforating guns, and other materials, according to established safety procedures.
- 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.
- Drive trucks to transport explosives and blasting equipment to blasting sites.
- Cut specified lengths of primacord and attach primers to cord ends.
- Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary.
- Repair and service blasting, shooting, and automotive equipment, and electrical wiring and instruments, using hand tools.
- Set up and operate short-wave radio or field telephone equipment to transmit and receive blast information.
- Insert waterproof sealers, bullets, and/or powder charges into guns, and screw gun ports back into place.
- Clean, gauge, and lubricate gun ports.
- Lower perforating guns into wells, using hoists; then use measuring devices and instrument panels to position guns in correct positions for taking samples.
- Create and lay out designs for drill and blast patterns.
- Document geological formations encountered during work.
- Operate machines to flush earth cuttings or to blow dust from holes.
- Set up and operate equipment such as hoists, jackhammers, and drills, in order to bore charge holes.
- Signal crane operators to move equipment.
Skills used in this work
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Expand more skills (29)
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Troubleshooting
- Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Equipment Selection
- Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Equipment Maintenance
- Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- Operations Analysis
- Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
- Management of Material Resources
- Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
- Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Technology Design
- Generating or adapting equipment and technology to serve user needs.
- Management of Financial Resources
- Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
- Installation
- Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or programs to meet specifications.
- Programming
- Writing computer programs for various purposes.
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