How to hire an explosive technician

How to hire an explosive technician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step explosive technician hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an explosive technician job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new explosive technician
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the explosive technician you need to hire. Certain explosive technician roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect explosive technician also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of explosive technicians.

   Type of Explosive Technician	Description	Hourly rate
   Explosive Technician		$12-31
   Blaster	Their duties may require them to process improvement techniques in yield, efficiency, and quality, provide technical expertise in internal and external manufacturing, manage external vendors, and arrange equipment purchases.	$12-32
   Technician	Technicians are skilled professionals who primarily work with technology in different industries. They are knowledgeable about the technical aspects of the various items they work with... Show more	$11-27

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • CDL
   • Hazardous Materials
   • Safety Procedures
   • ATF
   • DOT
   • EOD
   • Ammunition
   • Safety Laws
   • Grit

   Responsibilities:

   • Run the aluminum machines to supply the production with the right amount of aluminum to be send to its next step.
   • Fabricate explosive demolition charges, and dispose of hazardous explosives.
   • Compose written reports of data collect from patient evaluation and present to department chief for thorough analysis of patient diagnosis.
   • Haul ammonium nitrate and explosives detonators to rock quarry.
   • Operate contaminate waste processor unit (CWP).
   • Operate monitoring systems for various demil and recycle equipment via remote cameras and computer data output.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your explosive technician job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An explosive technician can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, explosive technicians' average salary in south dakota is 33% less than in virginia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level explosive technicians 59% less than senior-level explosive technicians.
   • Certifications. An explosive technician with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an explosive technician's salary.

   Average explosive technician salary

   $42,968yearly

   $20.66 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level explosive technician salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

4. Writing an explosive technician job description

   An explosive technician job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of an explosive technician job description:

   Explosive technician job description example

   The Opportunity:
   
   HPC-Industrial Powered by Clean Harbors is looking for a Explosives Technician to join their safety conscious team! The Explosives Technician is responsible for the safe and proper execution of HydroChemPSC jobs..
   
   About HPC-Industrial
   
   HPC-Industrial Powered by Clean Harbors, is the premier industrial cleaning and environmental services company in North America supporting the upstream, downstream, and utility sectors. HPC-Industrial offers an exceptional three-pronged safety system, innovative career development platform, committed customer service, deep industry expertise, and advanced technology and automation. We are committed to safety, people, growth, service, and performance. We provide the safest, most efficient operational experience for our customers and the most comprehensive training and career development for our employees.
   
   Essential Duties:
   
   * Must be approved through a Federal/State background for explosirves work
   
   * May transport personnel and/or equipment including explosives
   * Responsible for safety policies and procedures of both the company and the customer, including hands-on information regarding operations, safety, equipment, emergency response and administrative functions
   * Adheres to all safety procedures and complies with safety processes.
   * Inventories, stores and maintains supplies, tools and equipment
   * May set up staging area and/or work site
   * May review boiler tube thickness before blasting begins
   * Performs outside pole blasting operations
   * Conducts wrapping operation
   * Calculates, fabricates and uses explosive charges
   * Maintains safe separation distance of explosive components
   * May assign tasks for radio operations and utilization
   * An Explosives Technician may assign tasks to the team
   * An Explosives Technician may oversee other Explosive Technicians
   * An Explosives Technician may fabricate explosive charges and set-ups
   * An Explosirves Technician may instruct other technicians in the fabircation of charges and set-ups; setting up staging and work area.
   * An Explosives Technician secures explosives and equipment and keeps accountability for explosives in staging area and work site
   * An Explosives Technician will review plant safety and notification proceduress and relatys information to team
   * An Explosives Technician will plan and direct staging and work areas and ensure adjacent work areas are properly monitored
   * An Explosirves TEchnician will obtain permission from cleint to begin explosive operations after all notificatrions are completed
   * Performs other tasks when assigned by supervisor
   
   Working Environment:
   
   * Industrial/plant environment.
   
   Skills and Experience:
   
   * Military experience a plus.
   
   * Trained in Fall Protection; Confined Space Entry; certified for Hole Watch and Entrant responsibilities; Lockout/Tagout; First Aid/CPR; Hazard Communication
   * Respiratory Protection (including fit test and medical clearance)
   * Explosives license in the state of residence
   * Valid driver license and other requirements of company's driving policy required when driving company vehicle or using personal vehicle on company business.
   * CDL with Hazmat endorsement may be required.
   * Language proficiency: understand English at a level to comprehend safety training and respond to instructions in emergency situations.
   * Must be knowledgeable in the operation of emergency equipment, such as fire extinguishers.
   
   Educational Requirements:
   
   * High school diploma / GED or equivalent experience.
   
   HPC-Industrial and its subsidiaries affords equal opportunity in employment to all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, pregnancy, familial status, disability status, veteran status, citizenship status, genetic information or any other characteristic protected under Federal, State or Local law. HPC-Industrial is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
   
   * HPC

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5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right explosive technician for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your explosive technician job on Zippia to find and attract quality explosive technician candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as constructionjobs.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit explosive technicians, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new explosive technician

   Once you've found the explosive technician candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new explosive technician first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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