Explosive ordnance handler vs shot blaster

The differences between explosive ordnance handlers and shot blasters 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 a shot blaster. Additionally, a shot blaster has an average salary of $48,815, which is higher than the $43,778 average annual salary of an explosive ordnance handler.

Explosive ordnance handler vs shot blaster overview

	Explosive Ordnance Handler	Shot Blaster
Yearly salary	$43,778	$48,815
Hourly rate	$21.05	$23.47
Growth rate	3%	4%
Number of jobs	27,028	203
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 32%	High School Diploma, 78%
Average age	28	28
Years of experience	4	4

Explosive ordnance handler vs shot blaster salary

Explosive ordnance handlers and shot blasters have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Explosive Ordnance Handler	Shot Blaster
Average salary	$43,778	$48,815
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $78,000	Between $24,000 And $99,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between explosive ordnance handler and shot blaster education

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

	Explosive Ordnance Handler	Shot Blaster
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 32%	High School Diploma, 78%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Business
Most common college	-	-

Explosive ordnance handler vs shot blaster demographics

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

	Explosive Ordnance Handler	Shot Blaster
Average age	28	28
Gender ratio	Male, 89.0% Female, 11.0%	Male, 97.9% Female, 2.1%
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, 11.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 1.0% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, -1.1%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between explosive ordnance handler and shot blaster 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.

Shot blaster example responsibilities.

Blast rail freight cars with steel grit to achieve require blast profile per paint specifications or customer's request.
Deliver hands on training for current employees and new hires to increase awareness of and compliance with OSHA and state regulations.
Sandblast trailers, wash and clean trailers prep trailers for painting booth.

Explosive ordnance handler vs shot blaster skills

Common explosive ordnance handler skills

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

Common shot blaster skills

Explosive Ordnance Handler vs. similar jobs

Explosive Ordnance Handler related careers

Explosive Ordnance Handler related jobs

What similar roles do

Blaster responsibilities

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Construction and Extraction Industry
Explosive Ordnance Handler
Explosive Ordnance Handler vs Shot Blaster

Updated January 8, 2025

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