Overview
Responsibilities
T-A-S-K
Education
Income & Employability
Video Resources
Related Careers

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.

Interests

  • Realistic
  • Conventional
  • Investigative

Learn More about Interests

Work Values

  • Support
  • Independence
  • Working Conditions

Learn More about Work Values

Work Styles

  • Attention to Detail
  • Dependability
  • Integrity
  • Self-Control
  • Stress Tolerance

Learn More about Work Styles

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

Detailed Work Activities

  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Documenting/Recording Information - Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
  • Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards - Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
  • Performing General Physical Activities - 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.
  • Handling and Moving Objects - Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
  • Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials - Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
  • Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings - Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
  • Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Technology Skills

  • Spreadsheet software
  • Presentation software
  • Analytical or scientific software
  • Geographic information system
  • Electronic mail software

Skills

  • Active Listening
  • Monitoring
  • Critical Thinking
  • Judgment and Decision Making
  • Operation and Control

Knowledge

  • Public Safety and Security
  • Law and Government
  • Mathematics
  • Engineering and Technology
  • Administration and Management

Most Common Education Level

The “Most Common Education Level” refers to the level of education held by the majority of workers in a given occupation. For example, if the highest percentage of workers in a role have an Associate’s Degree, that suggests this is the typical educational requirement. Knowing this helps you plan how many years of education you may need to pursue that career.

Certificates

Certifying Organization

National Demolition Association

Type

Advanced

Income Percentile

The income percentiles show how earnings are distributed within a profession. The 10th percentile means that 10% of workers earned less than that amount. The median (50th percentile) indicates that half of workers earned more, and half earned less. The 90th percentile reflects what the top 10% of earners in the field make.

Income PercentileIncome
Low (10%)$NaN
Median (50%)$NaN
High (90%)$NaN

Income by Experience

This table shows how income typically grows with experience—from entry level (0–2 years), to mid-level (3–7 years), to senior level (8+ years).

ExperienceIncome
Entry Level$50,000
Mid Level$100,000
Senior Level$150,000

Employability

There are currently 4,800 jobs in this career path. Over the next 10 years, that number is expected to increase to 4,800 positions, reflecting a projected growth of 1%.

The Projected Job Growth figure refers to the expected increase or decrease in employment within a specific career field over a certain period of time.

Projected Job Growth of 1%

The career information and data on this site incorporates information from O*NET Web Services by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), with ONET® being a registered trademark of USDOL/ETA. Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA; CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (DOLETA) and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED); and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

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