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.
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. The role reports a median annual salary of $59,110 in the US. Entry typically requires a High school diploma or equivalent, and shows low AI exposure (0.34 on a 0-1 scale) — the role's core work resists automation. The most in-demand skills for the role include Active Listening, Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, Operations Monitoring.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £38,301 a year for Mining and quarry workers and related operatives (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 8132). ONS rates this estimate reasonably precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
No official India pay figure for this career: it falls in more than one occupation group, and the Government of India's labour survey (PLFS) publishes pay only by occupation group.
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Public Safety and Security
- Law and Government
- Mathematics
- Engineering and Technology
- Customer and Personal Service
- Administration and Management
- Transportation
- English Language
What you'd actually do
- 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.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does 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.
How much does Explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters earn?
The median annual salary for Explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters in the US is $59,110.
How do I become explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters?
The typical entry education is a High school diploma or equivalent. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Active Listening, Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters?
Our AI-durability model gives Explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters a score of 0.34 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at low AI exposure — the role's core work resists current-generation automation. It's a comparatively AI-durable choice within its field.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters has low barrier to entry — generally accessible — you can enter with basic credentials and on-the-job learning.