AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 47-5032.00

Will AI replace Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters?

Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters: AI can already handle 2 of 27 tasks; most of the work is hands-on, and the part AI can address mostly needs a standard-tier model.

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Every task, scored

The 27 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters, from most to least exposed. 2 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.

Task AI exposure Evidence Model tier Importance
Compile and keep gun and explosives records in compliance with local and federal laws. 80 Estimated Efficient 4.5
Verify detonation of charges by observing control panels, or by listening for the sounds of blasts. 80 Estimated Standard 4.3
Create and lay out designs for drill and blast patterns. 50 Estimated Frontier 3.0
Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary. 20 Estimated Standard 4.0
Repair and service blasting, shooting, and automotive equipment, and electrical wiring and instruments, using hand tools. 20 Estimated Efficient 3.7
Set up and operate equipment such as hoists, jackhammers, and drills, in order to bore charge holes. 20 Estimated Efficient 3.0
Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed. 15 Estimated No tier 4.9
Tie specified lengths of delaying fuses into patterns in order to time sequences of explosions. 15 Estimated No tier 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. 15 Estimated No tier 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. 15 Estimated No tier 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. 15 Estimated No tier 4.6
Mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions. 15 Estimated No tier 4.5
Measure depths of drilled blast holes, using weighted tape measures. 15 Estimated No tier 4.5
Connect electrical wire to primers, and cover charges or fill blast holes with clay, drill chips, sand, or other material. 15 Estimated No tier 4.5
Lay primacord between rows of charged blast holes, and tie cord into main lines to form blast patterns. 15 Estimated No tier 4.4
Assemble and position equipment, explosives, and blasting caps in holes at specified depths, or load perforating guns or torpedoes with explosives. 15 Estimated No tier 4.3
Move and store inventories of explosives, loaded perforating guns, and other materials, according to established safety procedures. 15 Estimated No tier 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. 15 Estimated No tier 4.2
Cut specified lengths of primacord and attach primers to cord ends. 15 Estimated No tier 4.0
Set up and operate short-wave radio or field telephone equipment to transmit and receive blast information. 15 Estimated No tier 3.8
Insert waterproof sealers, bullets, and/or powder charges into guns, and screw gun ports back into place. 15 Estimated No tier 3.8
Clean, gauge, and lubricate gun ports. 15 Estimated No tier 3.8
Lower perforating guns into wells, using hoists; then use measuring devices and instrument panels to position guns in correct positions for taking samples. 15 Estimated No tier 3.7
Document geological formations encountered during work. 15 Estimated No tier 3.0
Operate machines to flush earth cuttings or to blow dust from holes. 15 Estimated No tier 3.0
Signal crane operators to move equipment. 15 Estimated No tier 3.0
Drive trucks to transport explosives and blasting equipment to blasting sites. 8 Estimated No tier 4.1

Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 27 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 27 of 27. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.

The model tier this role needs

A standard-tier model or lower covers 18% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 21% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 79% is hands-on.

Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.

Wages, employment and outlook

US employment
5,100
Median annual wage
$61,390
Middle half of earners
$49,630 to $80,370
Projected change, 2024 to 2034
-0.9%

Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.

Adjacent roles

The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.

Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.

Questions about Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters and AI

Will AI replace Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters?

AI already handles 2 of the 27 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 22 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by -0.9% from 2024 to 2034.

What is the AI exposure of Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters?

22 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 0 of the 27 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 27 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.

Which Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters tasks can AI already do?

The tasks with the highest exposure are: Compile and keep gun and explosives records in compliance with local and federal laws; Verify detonation of charges by observing control panels, or by listening for the sounds of blasts. They are the tasks that reach 60 or more.

What AI model tier does this role need?

A standard-tier model or lower covers 18% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 79% is hands-on work that no model tier covers. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.

How many people work as Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters, and what do they earn?

5,100 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $61,390 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of -0.9% from 2024 to 2034.

How to cite

Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.

JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/explosives-workers-ordnance-handling-experts-and-blasters

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