Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters

Median salary

$61,390

Average salary

$66,640

Employment

5,100

Projected growth

0.9% decline

Annual openings

500

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

What 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.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: Less than 5 years
On-the-job training: Long-term on-the-job training
Self-employed: Not available

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 2 of 5

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

Experience: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
Education: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Job training: Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Public Safety and Securityimportance 4.1/5
Law and Governmentimportance 4.0/5
Mathematicsimportance 3.7/5
Engineering and Technologyimportance 3.3/5
Administration and Managementimportance 3.2/5
Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.2/5
Transportationimportance 3.2/5
English Languageimportance 3.1/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets5.0/5
Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions4.9/5
Exposed to Hazardous Conditions4.8/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.8/5
Health and Safety of Other Workers4.7/5
Telephone Conversations4.5/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Tile and Stone Setters93% skill match
Furniture Finishers92% skill match
Hazardous Materials Removal Workers92% skill match
Commercial Divers91% skill match
Stonemasons91% skill match
Dental Laboratory Technicians91% skill match
Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers91% skill match
Structural Iron and Steel Workers91% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.6/5
Operations Monitoringimportance 3.5/5
Operation and Controlimportance 3.5/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.4/5
Time Managementimportance 3.4/5
Coordinationimportance 3.1/5
Instructingimportance 3.0/5
Management of Personnel Resourcesimportance 3.0/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Blaster's Tool and Supply Company Blaster's Calculator
Datavis DBS Designer
DetNet ViewShot
Global positioning system GPS software

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Cautiousness
Attention to Detail
Stress Tolerance
Dependability
Integrity
Self-Control
Perseverance

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

RealisticHigh
ConventionalMedium
InvestigativeMedium
EnterprisingLow
SocialLow
ArtisticLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).