Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters

Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters score 14 out of 100, which is low exposure to AI. That ranks #708 of 923 US occupations, where #1 is the most exposed. Of the 30 tasks in this job, AI could speed up 4 on its own and 1 more with extra software built on top of it. None of its tasks showed up in real AI use in April–May 2026.

14/ 100

Low

Rank: #708of 923 jobs
US workers: 5,100BLS, May 2025
Median pay: $61,390a year
In real AI use: 0 of 30tasks, April–May 2026

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Task by task

Each task this job involves, as listed by O*NET, rated on whether a large language model like GPT-4 could cut the time it takes by at least half at the same quality. Tasks marked Seen in real AI use appeared in conversations with Claude in April–May 2026 (Anthropic Economic Index).

AI can speed this up on its own: 4 (13%)
AI can speed this up with extra software: 1 (3%)
Little or no AI speed-up: 25 (83%)

Compile and keep gun and explosives records in compliance with local and federal laws.AI can speed this up on its own · core task
Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary.AI can speed this up on its own · core task
Set up and operate short-wave radio or field telephone equipment to transmit and receive blast information.AI can speed this up on its own · supplemental task
Document geological formations encountered during work.AI can speed this up on its own
Create and lay out designs for drill and blast patterns.AI can speed this up with extra software
Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Tie specified lengths of delaying fuses into patterns in order to time sequences of explosions.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
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.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
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.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
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.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Measure depths of drilled blast holes, using weighted tape measures.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Connect electrical wire to primers, and cover charges or fill blast holes with clay, drill chips, sand, or other material.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Lay primacord between rows of charged blast holes, and tie cord into main lines to form blast patterns.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Assemble and position equipment, explosives, and blasting caps in holes at specified depths, or load perforating guns or torpedoes with explosives.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Verify detonation of charges by observing control panels, or by listening for the sounds of blasts.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Move and store inventories of explosives, loaded perforating guns, and other materials, according to established safety procedures.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
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.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Drive trucks to transport explosives and blasting equipment to blasting sites.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Cut specified lengths of primacord and attach primers to cord ends.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Repair and service blasting, shooting, and automotive equipment, and electrical wiring and instruments, using hand tools.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Insert waterproof sealers, bullets, and/or powder charges into guns, and screw gun ports back into place.Little or no AI speed-up · supplemental task
Clean, gauge, and lubricate gun ports.Little or no AI speed-up · supplemental task
Connect gun chambers to electric detonating devices, and operate controls at panelboards, in order to detonate charges in guns or to ignite chemical charges.Little or no AI speed-up · supplemental task
Lower perforating guns into wells, using hoists; then use measuring devices and instrument panels to position guns in correct positions for taking samples.Little or no AI speed-up · supplemental task
Insert powder charges into chambers of sidewall sample-taking cylinders, and assemble cylinders, using special wrenches.Little or no AI speed-up · supplemental task
Obtain samples of earth from sidewalls of well boreholes, using electrically exploding devices.Little or no AI speed-up · supplemental task
Operate machines to flush earth cuttings or to blow dust from holes.Little or no AI speed-up
Set up and operate equipment such as hoists, jackhammers, and drills, in order to bore charge holes.Little or no AI speed-up
Signal crane operators to move equipment.Little or no AI speed-up

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Questions about explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters and AI

Will AI replace explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters?

Unlikely. Most of the work is hard for today's AI to speed up. Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters score 14 out of 100 (low exposure), #708 of 923 US jobs. AI could speed up 5 of the job's 30 tasks, 4 of them on its own, while 25 see little or no speed-up. Exposure means the work is likely to change, not that the job will disappear.

Which explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters tasks can AI do?

The most exposed tasks include "Compile and keep gun and explosives records in compliance with local and federal laws"; "Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary"; "Set up and operate short-wave radio or field telephone equipment to transmit and receive blast information".

Which explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters tasks are hardest for AI?

Tasks with little or no AI speed-up include "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".

Are people already using AI for this work?

Not much yet. None of the job's tasks showed up in real conversations with Claude in April–May 2026, according to the Anthropic Economic Index.

How many people work as explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters, and what do they earn?

About 5,100 people in the US, with median pay of $61,390 a year (BLS, May 2025).

How to read this score. Exposure measures how much of the work AI could speed up, not whether the job will disappear. A highly exposed job can change shape, with people spending less time on routine tasks and more on the rest. The score counts tasks AI can speed up on its own in full, and tasks that need extra software at half weight.

The ratings come from published research based on GPT-4 (2023). To show what's happening now, each task is also checked against the latest Anthropic Economic Index, which records which tasks people actually use AI for. That data is refreshed automatically when Anthropic publishes a new release. Read the full method.