How to hire explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters
A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.
$29.51U.S. median hourly pay
$49,630–$80,370Middle half, yearly
5,100People in this job in the U.S.
Job description template
Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.
[Job title] at [Company name] [City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range] About the role [Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.] What you will do • Compile and keep gun and explosives records in compliance with local and federal laws. • Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed. • 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. • Measure depths of drilled blast holes, using weighted tape measures. • 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. • 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. • Tie specified lengths of delaying fuses into patterns in order to time sequences of explosions. What you bring • [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any] • [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: High school diploma or equivalent] • Strong active listening, monitoring, critical thinking, speaking, active learning and reading comprehension skills • Working knowledge of public safety and security, law and government and mathematics • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $29.51 an hour ($61,390 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters
Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.
- Tell me about a time you had to compile and keep gun and explosives records in compliance with local and federal laws. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to 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. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
- How do you keep track of your own work quality during a busy shift or week? Give an example of catching a problem early.
- Describe a decision at work where the obvious answer was wrong. How did you work out the better choice?
- Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?
Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.
What explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters do
- Compile and keep gun and explosives records in compliance with local and federal laws.
- Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed.
- 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.
- Measure depths of drilled blast holes, using weighted tape measures.
- 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.
- 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.
- Tie specified lengths of delaying fuses into patterns in order to time sequences of explosions.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters
- Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent (BLS)
- Related work experience most have: 1 to 2 years (O*NET)
- Experience usually needed to start: Less than 5 years (BLS)
- Training on the job: Long-term on-the-job training (BLS)
- Job outlook: 0% over ten years, little or no change · about 400 openings a year (BLS)
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Post this job on JAI Bot. Free to start: JAI Bot reads every applicant against your must-haves, shows the resume evidence behind each one, and helps you reply to everyone. People make every decision.
Post a job freePay by areaJob duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 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. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.