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Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters
Construction and Extraction · SOC 47-5032
0.0% AI Exposure — Low
$61,390
Median Annual Salary
Average
O*NET Outlook
—
Proj. Annual Openings
5,100
Employment (OEWS 2025)
-1.3%/yr
Empl. growth (2021–2025)
100/100
AI Resiliency Score
AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.
Decision card
Career Evidence Passport
SOC 47-5032 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.
Proxy / seed data labeledDescriptive-only
- SOC exposure
- 0.0%
- Low · Anthropic AEI
- Automation friction
- 51/100
- Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $61,390
- No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
- Projected openings
- —
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change -0.9%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- —
- FY— certified LCAs; 98 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
Active ListeningMonitoringCritical ThinkingJudgment and Decision MakingOperations Monitoring
Transition context
- H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
- Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
- Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
- This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.
AI Exposure Analysis
AI Exposure0.0%
AI Resiliency100/100
Exposure BandLow
Sector Avg. Exposure1.2%
Across AI measures
Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.
19.8%
Consensus
Actual adoption · Anthropic0%
AI capability · OpenAI13.5%
AI ability · AIOE46%
Automation baseline (2013) · Frey & Osborne66.5%
Top Skills
1.Active Listening
2.Monitoring
3.Critical Thinking
4.Judgment and Decision Making
5.Operations Monitoring
H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand
View full H-1B trends →No H-1B certified LCA filings recorded for this occupation in FY2016–FY2025.
O*NET occupation profile
What this work involves
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.
Common titles: Blast Hole Driller, Blaster, Explosive Technician, Powderman, Unexploded Ordnance Quality Control Officer
Representative 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.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Determine operational compliance with regulations or standards.
- •Select tools, equipment, or technologies for use in operations or projects.
- •Prepare explosives for detonation.
- •Direct construction or extraction personnel.
- •Position safety or support equipment.
Tools & Technologies
ESRI ArcGIS software · hotMicrosoft Excel · hotMicrosoft Outlook · hotMicrosoft PowerPoint · hotBlaster's Tool and Supply Company Blaster's CalculatorDatavis DBS DesignerDetNet ViewShot
Employment Projections & AI Exposure
15
Occupations Shown
1.2%
Avg AI Exposure
12
Bright Outlook
Horizontal bar chart showing occupations with the highest projected annual openings. Each bar length represents annual projected openings. Color uses a gradient from violet (lower) to cyan (higher). Summary statistics are shown above the chart.
Employment & Wage Trend
BLS OEWS, 2019–2025
Multi-year BLS OEWS history for SOC 47-5032: 2021 — employment: 5,370, median wage: $53,040; 2022 — employment: 4,710, median wage: $56,670; 2023 — employment: 4,610, median wage: $61,590; 2025 — employment: 5,100, median wage: $61,390.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.
Sector Comparison
| Metric | This Career | Sector Average |
|---|---|---|
| AI Exposure | 0.0% | 1.2% |
| Outlook | Average | 70% Bright |
| Median Salary | $61,390 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 100/100 | N/A |