Blasters fill blast holes with explosives and detonate explosives to dislodge coal, ore and rock or to demolish structures. Drillers and blasters are employed by mining, quarrying and construction companies and by drilling and blasting contractors.
What does a Blaster do?
Blasters fill blast holes with explosives and detonate explosives to dislodge coal, ore and rock or to demolish structures. Drillers and blasters are employed by mining, quarrying and construction companies and by drilling and blasting contractors.
What are the advantages of millisecond blasting?
Major advantages of millisecond (MS) blasting are: Many easy-to-use non-electric systems that allow blasters almost infinite timing flexibility are offered by various manufacturers. A combination of surface and in-hole delays are widely used in construction blasting operations.
Is a career as a driller/blaster right for You?
If the answer to these questions is yes, then a career as a Driller/Blaster could be right for you. Drillers and blasters work closely together, and often perform both drilling and blasting activities.
Do you need a licence to Blaster?
In addition to certification, a provincial blasting licence is usually required. To keep their skills current, drillers and blasters must to keep up with new technology developments by reading and talking with others in their field. If playback doesn't begin shortly, try restarting your device.

What is a blaster?
a : one whose work is shattering or demolishing something (such as rock) with an explosive device or agent Demolition companies that level buildings with explosive charges—and so are called blasters—have been letting the team plant transmitters in the ill-fated structures …—
What does an industrial blaster do?
The main role of a blaster/painter is to conduct coatings and painting applications. They may also be referred to as a sandblaster, industrial paint sprayer, or industrial painter and usually work in industrial or manufacturing settings.
What is a blaster apprentice?
Blaster Apprentice This role will assist in and learn all aspects of blasting, from initial site survey through blast day preparation, blast execution and blast documentation and analysis.
How do I get a job as a blaster?
To become a blaster, you need a high school diploma or equivalent. Most states require blasters to obtain a license to handle explosives. Qualifications for licensing vary, but may include completing safety courses, passing an exam, and clearing a background check.
How much do blasters earn?
The average salary for a blaster is R 13 559 per month in South Africa.
Which of the following are job responsibilities of a blaster?
A blaster, also known as an explosives worker, uses explosives and detonators to demolish structures or remove earth in a quarry, mine, or similar site. As a blaster, your responsibilities include assessing the needs of the demolition project to determine how much needs to be removed or destroyed.
Do blasters make good money?
How much does a Blaster make in California? As of Sep 25, 2022, the average annual pay for a Blaster in California is $35,744 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $17.18 an hour.
How long does it take to get a blasting certificate?
DURATION OF BLASTING BASIC TRAINING: Basic training duration is seven months on full time basis, Monday to Friday, 07:00 – 15:15 at our Mining Training Centre at Witbank.
What education do you need to be a blaster?
Completion of secondary school is usually required. On-the-job training is provided. Experience as a heavy equipment operator may be required for drillers. Experience as a blaster helper in surface mining and quarrying or construction may be required for blasters.
What is a blasting license?
The license allows the holder to store and deal with explosive items.
What is a blaster OSHA?
A blaster shall be qualified, by reason of training, knowledge, or experience, in the field of transporting, storing, handling, and use of explosives, and have a working knowledge of State and local laws and regulations which pertain to explosives.
How do I become a driller and blaster?
Job requirementsCompletion of secondary school is usually required.On-the-job training is provided.Experience as a heavy equipment operator may be required for drillers.Experience as a blaster helper in surface mining and quarrying or construction may be required for blasters.More items...•
How does a blasting machine work?
A typical "capacitive discharge" blasting machine works by charging a capacitor from a battery, then discharging the capacitor through an external circuit, called the firing line, to fire the blasting cap.
What education do you need to be a blaster?
Completion of secondary school is usually required. On-the-job training is provided. Experience as a heavy equipment operator may be required for drillers. Experience as a blaster helper in surface mining and quarrying or construction may be required for blasters.
What does a blaster painter do?
As an Industrial Painter/Blaster, you can apply beautiful colours and effects to finished projects, all while playing an important role in the production and maintenance of huge structures. Industrial Painters/Blasters may work in areas such as oil and gas, marine, mining, asset maintenance and manufacturing.
What is a blaster OSHA?
A blaster shall be qualified, by reason of training, knowledge, or experience, in the field of transporting, storing, handling, and use of explosives, and have a working knowledge of State and local laws and regulations which pertain to explosives.
What is the job of a blaster?
As a Blaster, your duties may include the following: Loading explosives in blast holes by hand, or directing bulk explosives trucks to load holes. Connecting electrical wires, detonating cords or fuses into series and connecting the series to blasting machines.
Who employs a driller?
Drillers and blasters are employed by mining, quarrying and construction companies and by drilling and blasting contractors.
What are the duties of a driller?
As a Driller, your duties may include some or all of the following: 1 Driving and operating drilling machines to bore large blast holes in open-pit mines, quarries or on construction sites, or to drill holes for building foundations or pilings 2 Loading blast holes with explosives and detonating explosives to dislodge coal, ore or rock 3 Measuring locations and identifying holes to be driller
What are the properties of blasting agents?
These properties include fume class, density, water resistance, temperature effects, detonation velocity, detonation pressure, borehole pressure, sensitivity, and strength.
How does blasting affect fracturing?
The orientation of structures with respect to blastholes and open faces greatly influence the fracturing process and the potential for overbreak. The heave energy from explosive gases cleaves open the natural joints and bedding planes. When blast direction is parallel to major open joints, potential heave energy is lost when gases prematurely vent to the face through open joints. Jointed or otherwise weakened rock masses can also cause misfires when loaded holes are cut off by premature ground movement and gas penetration. On large projects, it is advisable to perform some small scale test blasts to provide the most complete information about existing rock types, physical properties, structure, and blasting characteristics.
How does explosive detonation produce shock energy?
When explosives detonate, they produce shock and heave energy. The shock energy is produced in the form of stress waves, driven by the explosive's detonation front. The heave energy is produced by the rapidly expanding gases that follow detonation. Actual explosive yields can be measured by a variety of field tests.
How to initiate an explosion?
A blast can be initiated with high-sensitivity explosives by using a detonator. Low-sensitivity explosives, such as ANFO emulsion blends, require a booster (usually a very small amount of high explosives) that is initiated by a detonator to cause an explosion.
What are the factors that affect the amount of fumes produced by an explosive detonation?
Factors such as explosive age, water penetration, and chemical reaction with the host rock will affect the amount of fumes produced by an explosive detonation or conflagration.
How big is a blast hole?
Large blast holes may be as large as 9 inches or 225 mm. in diameter, while small holes may be as small as 1.5 inches or 38 mm. in diameter. Hole orientation is influenced by project topography, excavation boundary geometry, bench height, bench access, and many other factors.
What is an explosive?
An explosive is a compound or mixture of compounds which, when initiated by heat, impact, friction, or shock, undergoes a rapid decomposition, releasing tremendous amounts of energy in the form of heat and gas. This decomposition is a self-propagating, exothermic reaction called an explosion.
What is the job of a blaster?
The main role of a blaster/painter is to conduct coatings and painting applications . They may also be referred to as a sandblaster, industrial paint sprayer, or industrial painter and usually work in industrial or manufacturing settings. The essential functions of a blaster/painter include applying coatings using various systems or tools, ...
What is a blaster/painter?
Furthermore, a blaster/painter is also responsible for post-paint processes such as grinding, polishing, sealing, caulking, and sanding. The minimum educational requirement for this job is a high school diploma, GED, or equivalent. An applicant must also be able to perform the abovementioned functions satisfactorily, ...
How Do Blaster/Painter Rate Their Jobs?
Rate how you like work as Blaster/Painter. It's anonymous and will only take a minute.
How much does a blaster make an hour?
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a blaster/painter. For example, did you know that they make an average of $18.49 an hour? That's $38,468 a year!
What skills do blasters need?
We discovered that a lot of resumes listed customer-service skills, detail oriented and color vision.
How many blasters have a bachelor's degree?
If you're interested in becoming a blaster/painter, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 5.6% of blaster/painters have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 0.2% of blaster/painters have master's degrees. Even though some blaster/painters have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Can you become a blaster or painter?
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a blaster/painter. In fact, many blaster/painter jobs require experience in a role such as painter. Meanwhile, many blaster/painters also have previous career experience in roles such as sandblaster paint sprayer or industrial painter.
What Is a Lath and Plaster Wall?
Lath and plaster refer to an interior wall construction technique that typically predates the 1940s. Four-foot-long strips of wood lath, typically 1-inch wide, are nailed directly to the open wall studs. The lath is then embedded with three layers of wet plaster. The plaster dries to form a hard, smooth surface suitable for finishing, first with primer, then with interior paint or wallpaper. Plaster and lath wall systems are rarely used now, except to repair existing walls or to refurbish historic buildings.
What is a plaster key?
Plaster keys are simply the plaster that has oozed through the lath in irregular shapes. They help to hold the plaster in place on the lath, as well as act as sound-absorbing elements in the wall.
What is the difference between drywall and plaster?
Essentially, drywall acts the same way as lath and plaster walls: a mineral-based substance that creates privacy, deadens sound, and insulates. The chief difference is that the plasterwork, or the wet work, has already been done in a factory, not on site. Thus, the term dry wall.
How long does it take to build a lath wall?
How Lath and Plaster Walls Are Built. Building lath and plaster walls requires several days due to the length of time it takes for thick plaster to cure. Though lath-building can nominally be thought of as carpentry, most plasterers are adept at nailing up lath. So only one team of workers is needed for the project.
What is the key in plaster?
Globs of plaster called keys are pushed out of the backside of the lath. These wet portions dry and form myriad secure grips for the rest of the plaster. The keys make demolition of plaster down the road much harder because they grip to the lath.
Is plaster wall a good soundproofing system?
Lath and plaster walls grace many traditional homes. Thick, substantial, and great at soundproofing, walls constructed out of lath and plaster are rarely built anew anymore. They tend only to be repaired, not built from scratch. Drywall has supplanted plaster and lath as the wall covering of choice. But if your home does have this older interior wall-building system, you may be curious about how it is constructed and how it compares to drywall.
Is plasterboard still used?
Plaster and lath wall systems are rarely used now, except to repair existing walls or to refurbish historic buildings. In the mid-century modern era after World War II, drywall, also called plasterboard or wallboard, stormed onto the scene and has remained there ever since.
What is sandblasting?
Sandblasting is just one of several blasting-type surface finishing processes. There’s also shot blasting, which is even more effective at smoothing otherwise rough and rigid surfaces. What’s the difference between sandblasting and shot blasting exactly?
What is sandblasting machine?
Also known as abrasive blasting, sandblasting is a surface finishing process that involves the use of a powered machine — typically an air compressor as well as a sandblasting machine — to spray abrasive particles under high pressure against a surface. It’s called “sandblasting” because it blasts the surface with particles of sand.
How does sandblasting work?
Because of these properties, it’s able to wear away at excess or unwanted material on a surface. Sandpaper, for example, contains many individual particles of sand. When rubbed against a surface, the sand removes some of the top-layer material, thereby creating a smoother texture. Sandblasting works the same way except it involves the use of highly pressurized sand.
How to sandblast a sandblaster?
The first step to performing sandblasting is pouring the sand into the sandblasting machine. Sandblasting machines have a chamber on top in which the sand is poured. The sandblasting machine is then connected a conventional air compressor that, when activated, propels the sand out through a handheld nozzle.
Why is sandblasting used on concrete?
Concrete, for example, is often sandblasted. After the concrete has been poured and allowed to dry , it’s treated with sandblasting.
Why is sandblasting called sandblasting?
It’s called “sandblasting” because it blasts the surface with particles of sand. As the sand particles strike the surface, they create a smoother and more even texture. In this post, you’ll learn more about this surface finishing process and how it’s performed.
What are shot blast balls made of?
The balls or beads are often made of stainless steel, copper, aluminum or zinc. Regardless, all of these metals are harder than sand, making shot blasting even more effective than its sandblasting counterpart. No tags for this post.
