Explosive ordnance handler vs explosive specialist

The differences between explosive ordnance handlers and explosive specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an explosive ordnance handler and an explosive specialist. Additionally, an explosive specialist has an average salary of $48,554, which is higher than the $43,778 average annual salary of an explosive ordnance handler.

The top three skills for an explosive ordnance handler include hand trucks, hazardous materials and law enforcement agencies. The most important skills for an explosive specialist are radiological, hazardous materials, and response operations.

Explosive ordnance handler vs explosive specialist overview

	Explosive Ordnance Handler	Explosive Specialist
Yearly salary	$43,778	$48,554
Hourly rate	$21.05	$23.34
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	27,028	1,090
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	28	28
Years of experience	4	4

Explosive ordnance handler vs explosive specialist salary

Explosive ordnance handlers and explosive specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Explosive Ordnance Handler	Explosive Specialist
Average salary	$43,778	$48,554
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $78,000	Between $25,000 And $92,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between explosive ordnance handler and explosive specialist education

There are a few differences between an explosive ordnance handler and an explosive specialist in terms of educational background:

	Explosive Ordnance Handler	Explosive Specialist
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Business
Most common college	-	-

Explosive ordnance handler vs explosive specialist demographics

Here are the differences between explosive ordnance handlers' and explosive specialists' demographics:

	Explosive Ordnance Handler	Explosive Specialist
Average age	28	28
Gender ratio	Male, 89.0% Female, 11.0%	Male, 80.7% Female, 19.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.9% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 22.3% Asian, 1.7% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, -0.7%	Black or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 22.9% Asian, 1.7% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between explosive ordnance handler and explosive specialist duties and responsibilities

Explosive ordnance handler example responsibilities.

Conduct foot patrol and/or vehicle patrol independently on premises.
Perform explosives testing using energetic materials following DoD safety procedures for ordinance disposal.
Respond to calls from military/combat personnel.

Explosive specialist example responsibilities.

Lead smoke generating squads, supervise reconnaissance and decontamination operation, and serve as company NBC NCO.
Transport demolition explosives and equipment to authorize disposal areas.
Develop and implement training procedures and strategies for radiological protection, detection, and decontamination.
Assist training units with incorporating teams into their battle rhythm, utilizing the latest CIED, and TTPs for battle areas.
Provide security for VIP in support of federal law enforcement.

Explosive ordnance handler vs explosive specialist skills

Common explosive ordnance handler skills

Hand Trucks, 52%
Hazardous Materials, 14%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 10%
Ammunition, 8%
Incident Reports, 6%
CDL, 6%

Common explosive specialist skills

Radiological, 35%
Hazardous Materials, 16%
Response Operations, 12%
Vulnerability Assessments, 10%
Local Law Enforcement, 9%
Maintenance Procedures, 9%

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Explosive Ordnance Handler
Explosive Ordnance Handler vs Explosive Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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