Blasting production technician vs tunneling machine operator

The differences between blasting production technicians and tunneling machine 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 tunneling machine operator. Additionally, a blasting production technician has an average salary of $34,907, which is higher than the $29,347 average annual salary of a tunneling machine operator.

The top three skills for a blasting production technician include industrial cleaning, routine maintenance and safety equipment. The most important skills for a tunneling machine operator are control room, dryers, and .

Blasting production technician vs tunneling machine operator overview

	Blasting Production Technician	Tunneling Machine Operator
Yearly salary	$34,907	$29,347
Hourly rate	$16.78	$14.11
Growth rate	6%	7%
Number of jobs	76,063	53,605
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 52%	High School Diploma, 63%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	2	2

Blasting production technician vs tunneling machine operator salary

Blasting production technicians and tunneling machine operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Blasting Production Technician	Tunneling Machine Operator
Average salary	$34,907	$29,347
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $47,000	Between $23,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between blasting production technician and tunneling machine operator education

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

	Blasting Production Technician	Tunneling Machine Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 52%	High School Diploma, 63%
Most common major	Business	General Studies
Most common college	-	-

Blasting production technician vs tunneling machine operator demographics

Here are the differences between blasting production technicians' and tunneling machine operators' demographics:

	Blasting Production Technician	Tunneling Machine Operator
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 93.2% Female, 6.8%	Male, 79.1% Female, 20.9%
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 tunneling machine 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.

Tunneling machine operator example responsibilities.

Use automate systems and RF units to pull, put away and load customer product, in addition to managing inventory
Record statistics on ISO documentation, and coordinate with machine technicians and electrical technicians to keep machines operating at maximum efficiency.
Record statistics on ISO documentation, and coordinate with machine technicians and electrical technicians to keep machines operating at maximum efficiency.

Blasting production technician vs tunneling machine 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 tunneling machine operator skills

Control Room, 84%
Dryers, 16%

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Construction and Extraction Industry
Blasting Production Technician
Blasting Production Technician vs Tunneling Machine Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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