Blasting production technician vs horizontal drill operator

The differences between blasting production technicians and horizontal drill operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a blasting production technician and a horizontal drill operator. Additionally, a horizontal drill operator has an average salary of $38,118, which is higher than the $34,907 average annual salary of a blasting production technician.

The top three skills for a blasting production technician include industrial cleaning, routine maintenance and safety equipment. The most important skills for a horizontal drill operator are CDL, directional drill, and fiber optic.

Blasting production technician vs horizontal drill operator overview

	Blasting Production Technician	Horizontal Drill Operator
Yearly salary	$34,907	$38,118
Hourly rate	$16.78	$18.33
Growth rate	6%	7%
Number of jobs	76,063	29,944
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 52%	High School Diploma, 50%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	2	2

Blasting production technician vs horizontal drill operator salary

Blasting production technicians and horizontal drill operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Blasting Production Technician	Horizontal Drill Operator
Average salary	$34,907	$38,118
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $47,000	Between $27,000 And $52,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between blasting production technician and horizontal drill operator education

There are a few differences between a blasting production technician and a horizontal drill operator in terms of educational background:

	Blasting Production Technician	Horizontal Drill Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 52%	High School Diploma, 50%
Most common major	Business	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Blasting production technician vs horizontal drill operator demographics

Here are the differences between blasting production technicians' and horizontal drill operators' demographics:

	Blasting Production Technician	Horizontal Drill Operator
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 93.2% Female, 6.8%	Male, 100.0% Female, 0.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 0.8% White, 74.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 5.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 0.8% White, 74.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between blasting production technician and horizontal drill operator duties and responsibilities

Blasting production technician example responsibilities.

Defuse unexploded bombs, locate, identify and dispose of chemical munitions under direct supervision of EOD personnel.
Complete Jsa's and Msds's (time sheets).
Use hydro blast equipment (hoses, pressure guns, slicker suits, respirators, gloves, goggles, etc . )
Work with high psi waterjetting and hydroblasting equipment.
Man both 10k and 20k shotguns as well as frexlanced during daily operations.
Rig automatic systems to clean industrial equipment and use manual water blasting systems.

Horizontal drill operator example responsibilities.

Maintain fluid weights by careful mixing of chemicals using PPE and careful mathematical calculations in collaboration with engineers.
Operate heavy machinery such as bobcat equipment and also operate and pave asphalt perform demolition work.

Blasting production technician vs horizontal drill operator skills

Common blasting production technician skills

Industrial Cleaning, 32%
Routine Maintenance, 14%
Safety Equipment, 11%
Hydro Blasting, 7%
Safety Procedures, 6%
Hazardous Waste, 5%

Common horizontal drill operator skills

CDL, 72%
Directional Drill, 23%
Fiber Optic, 3%
Hand Holes, 1%
Routine Maintenance, 0%

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Construction and Extraction Industry
Blasting Production Technician
Blasting Production Technician vs Horizontal Drill Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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