Mine Drillers and Blasters
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Job description
Drillers drill holes in quarries, open-pit mines, and shafts. Their work enables them to conduct blasting operations.
Blasters load explosives into blast holes. They detonate charges to clear coal, ore, and rocks or to demolish structures.
Environment
- Climatic conditions
- Equipment, machinery, tools
- Vehicle or passenger compartment
- Nontoxic dust
- Hazardous workplaces
- Noise
- Falling objects
- Vibration
Main tasks
Drillers
- Drill blast holes at prescribed locations and depths.
- Operate drills or borers.
- Determine the location of holes to be drilled, as required.
- Place marking stakes.
- Load holes with explosives and detonate charges as required.
Blasters
- Read instructions or diagrams to determine hole location, depth, and diameter.
- Conduct tests to determine the type and quantity of explosives required.
- Connect charges with detonators, or instruct other workers in the procedure.
- Load explosives into blast holes.
- Attach wires to blasting devices.
- Explode charges.
- Ensure the handling, storage, and transportation of explosives according to the current safety measures.
- Operate drills and borers to drill holes, as required.
- Direct hole drilling , as required.
Advancement and mobility
- Drillers and Blasters often combine each other’s duties.
- Experience leads to supervisory positions.
Hourly wage
Not available.Job prospects for 2024-2028
Les 2 champs de sélection ci-dessous vous permettent de comparer 2 régions. Les données des régions seront automatiquement mises à jour à la sélection. Par défaut, la province de Québec est sélectionnée pour la première région.
Job prospects for 2024-2028
Job prospects
All of Québec
Non available
Limited
Good
Very good
Very good
All of Québec
Non available
Limited
Good
Very good
Non available
Total jobs for 2023
All of Québec
1,000
All of Québec
na
Gender distribution
All of Québec
Not available.
- 0% Female
- 100% Male
Not available.
- 0% Female
- 100% Male
Job types
All of Québec
Not available.
- Full time
- Part time
Not available.
- Full time
- Part time
Yearly wage on 2020
All of Québec
$82,000
All of Québec
Other characteristics
All of Québec
- Seasonal worker
- Non traditional for women
- None
All of Québec
- Seasonal worker
- Non traditional for women
- None
Sectors of activity
All of Québec
Not available.
-
NAICS 2152% of jobs
-
NAICS 2340% of jobs
-
NAICS 223% of jobs
-
NAICS 5413, 54141% of jobs
-
NAICS 911% of jobs
-
Others3% of jobs
All of Québec
Not available.
-
NAICS 2152% of jobs
-
NAICS 2340% of jobs
-
NAICS 223% of jobs
-
NAICS 5413, 54141% of jobs
-
NAICS 911% of jobs
-
Others3% of jobs
Training and requirements
Formation
Most training programs are offered in French only.
Secondary
DVS in forage et dynamitage
Code : 5369
Placement rate: 97.1%
Also required
- Certificate of qualification.
Sometimes required
Drillers
- Experience as a Heavy Equipment Operator may be required.
Blasters
- Experience as a Helper in construction or quarries and open-pit mines may be required.
Main skills and characteristics
Skills
- Data collection
- Monitoring operations
- Operations and control
- Equipment maintenance
- Critical thought
- Result evaluation
- Quality control analysis
- Coordination
- Troubleshooting
- Active listening
- Oral expression
- Solving complex problems
- Equipment selection
Abilities
- Control accuracy
- Limb coordination
- Hand-arm stability
- Reaction time
- Manual dexterity
- Depth perception
- Speed control
- Near vision
- Perception speed
- Oral comprehension
- Information organization
- Deductive reasoning
- Hearing sensitivity
- Awareness of issues
- Distance vision
- Visualization
- Digital dexterity
- Colour perception and distinction
- Inductive reasoning
- Auditory attention
- Selective attention
- Speech clarity
- Written comprehension
- Written expression
- Verbal skills
- Processing flexibility
Knowledge and attributes
- Capacity to work under pressure
- Critical thinking
- Autonomy
- Sense of responsibility
- Capacity to work in a team
- Rigour
- Respect standards and regulations
- Assiduity and punctuality
- Sense of observation
- Knowledge of buildings and construction
Interests
- Make, build, install
- Work manually
- Develop and exploit natural resources
- Work outdoors
Personality profiles (RIASEC)
- Realistic
- People with this profile prefer carrying out concrete tasks and being physically involved in what they do.
- Conventional
- People with this profile prefer specific, well-defined tasks. They like to respect the order of things and follow established rules.
- Social
- People with this profile prefer to be in contact with others, in particular to entertain, help or teach them.
Official name of the NOC 73402
Drillers and blasters - surface mining, quarrying and construction
Job titles
- Blasters-Drillers
- Construction blaster
- Blaster - surface mining
- Driller - surface mining
- Construction driller
- Blaster (except underground mining)
- Blaster - quarrying
- Open-pit blaster
- Driller - quarrying
- Quarry driller
- Driller - surface mine
- Seismic prospecting driller
- Foundation drill operator
- Foundation drill operator - construction
- Core drill operator - construction, surface mining and quarrying
- Diamond drill operator - surface mining and quarrying
- Drilling machine operator - construction
- Air-track drill operator - construction
- Rotary drilling machine operator
- Rotary drilling machine operator - surface mining and quarrying
Skill type
Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations
Last update: January 29, 2026
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