Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters

AI & job outlook

What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.

Exposure to current AI

Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.

OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.1), with simple added tooling (β 0.1), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.1). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.

Job outlook

Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.

“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.

Tasks

All 30 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.

• Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed. Core · importance 4.9
• Tie specified lengths of delaying fuses into patterns in order to time sequences of explosions. Core · importance 4.7
• 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. Core · importance 4.6
• 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. Core · importance 4.6
• 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. Core · importance 4.6
• Compile and keep gun and explosives records in compliance with local and federal laws. Core · importance 4.5
• Mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions. Core · importance 4.5
• Measure depths of drilled blast holes, using weighted tape measures. Core · importance 4.5
• Connect electrical wire to primers, and cover charges or fill blast holes with clay, drill chips, sand, or other material. Core · importance 4.5
• Lay primacord between rows of charged blast holes, and tie cord into main lines to form blast patterns. Core · importance 4.4
• Assemble and position equipment, explosives, and blasting caps in holes at specified depths, or load perforating guns or torpedoes with explosives. Core · importance 4.3
• Verify detonation of charges by observing control panels, or by listening for the sounds of blasts. Core · importance 4.3
• Move and store inventories of explosives, loaded perforating guns, and other materials, according to established safety procedures. Core · importance 4.3
• 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. Core · importance 4.2
• Drive trucks to transport explosives and blasting equipment to blasting sites. Core · importance 4.1
• Cut specified lengths of primacord and attach primers to cord ends. Core · importance 4.0
• Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary. Core · importance 4.0
• Clean, gauge, and lubricate gun ports. Supplemental · importance 3.8
• Insert waterproof sealers, bullets, and/or powder charges into guns, and screw gun ports back into place. Supplemental · importance 3.8
• Set up and operate short-wave radio or field telephone equipment to transmit and receive blast information. Supplemental · importance 3.8
• Repair and service blasting, shooting, and automotive equipment, and electrical wiring and instruments, using hand tools. Core · importance 3.7
• Lower perforating guns into wells, using hoists; then use measuring devices and instrument panels to position guns in correct positions for taking samples. Supplemental · importance 3.7
• Connect gun chambers to electric detonating devices, and operate controls at panelboards, in order to detonate charges in guns or to ignite chemical charges. Supplemental
• Create and lay out designs for drill and blast patterns.
• Document geological formations encountered during work.
• Insert powder charges into chambers of sidewall sample-taking cylinders, and assemble cylinders, using special wrenches. Supplemental
• Obtain samples of earth from sidewalls of well boreholes, using electrically exploding devices. Supplemental
• 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.

Emerging tasks

Newer responsibilities O*NET has flagged as growing for this occupation.

• Operate drones for aerial survey of blast sites and for post-blast damage assessment.

Work activities

• Develop equipment or component configurations.
• Record operational or environmental data.
• Remove debris or vegetation from work sites.
• Drill holes in earth or rock.
• Signal equipment operators to indicate proper equipment positioning.
• Determine operational compliance with regulations or standards.
• Select tools, equipment, or technologies for use in operations or projects.
• Prepare explosives for detonation.
• Position safety or support equipment.
• Direct construction or extraction personnel.
• Operate detonation equipment.
• Pour materials into or on designated areas.
• Mark reference points on construction materials.
• Measure work site dimensions.
• Assemble products or production equipment.
• Position construction or extraction equipment.
• Monitor extraction operations.
• Move materials, equipment, or supplies.
• Stock supplies or merchandise.
• Drive trucks or truck-mounted equipment.
• Cut carpet, vinyl or other flexible materials.
• Order construction or extraction materials or equipment.
• Maintain extraction or excavation equipment.
• Operate communications equipment or systems.
• Load materials into construction equipment.
• Clean equipment or facilities.
• Operate cranes, hoists, or other moving or lifting equipment.

Knowledge, skills & abilities

O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).

Knowledge

Abilities

Essential skills

Transferable skills

Skills in demand

Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.

• Information Ordering Specialized Skill
• Inductive Reasoning Common Skill
• Deductive Reasoning Common Skill
• Active Listening Common Skill
• Finger Dexterity Common Skill
• Mathematics Common Skill
• Critical Thinking Common Skill
• Time Management Common Skill
• Depth Perception Common Skill
• Complex Problem Solving Common Skill
• Visualization Specialized Skill
• Speech Recognition Specialized Skill
• Reading Comprehension Common Skill
• Active Learning Common Skill
• English Language Common Skill
• Microsoft Word Common Skill
• Microsoft PowerPoint Common Skill
• Microsoft Outlook Common Skill
• Microsoft Excel Common Skill
• Learning Strategies Specialized Skill
• Instructing Specialized Skill
• Writing Common Skill
• Social Perceptiveness Common Skill
• Systems Analysis Specialized Skill
• Negotiation Common Skill
• Equipment Selection Specialized Skill
• Physics Specialized Skill
• Equipment Maintenance Specialized Skill
• Chemistry Specialized Skill
• Geography Specialized Skill
• Psychology Specialized Skill
• Telecommunications Specialized Skill
• Installation Specialized Skill
• Biology Specialized Skill
• Foreign Language Common Skill
• Presentation Software Specialized Skill

Tools & technology

Work context

How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.

How to get in

Job zone

Zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed

Education

Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Typical entry-level education

High school diploma or equivalent · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement

Related experience

Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.

Preparation level

SVP (Below 6.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.

What to study: Construction Trades , Transportation and Materials Moving . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.

Education of current workers

Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.

Interests & work styles

The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.

Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)

Work styles

Interest areas

Wages & employment

U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)

Industries that employ this occupation

Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.

Where this work is most concentrated

Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).

Related occupations

Part of the Construction and Energy & Natural Resources career clusters.

• Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas · 47-5023.00 Compare →
• Helpers--Extraction Workers · 47-5081.00 Compare →
• Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas · 47-5012.00 Compare →
• Continuous Mining Machine Operators · 47-5041.00 Compare →
• Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators · 47-2073.00 Compare →
• Pile Driver Operators · 47-2072.00 Compare →
• Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining · 47-5022.00 Compare →
• Roof Bolters, Mining · 47-5043.00 Compare →
• Construction Laborers · 47-2061.00 Compare →
• Hoist and Winch Operators · 53-7041.00 Compare →
• Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers · 51-2011.00 Compare →
• Riggers · 49-9096.00 Compare →

Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.

What you can do with this

Options the data surfaces for Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

@misc{singulariki-role-47-5032-00,
  title  = {Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-47-5032-00}
}