Drill and blast operator job description

A drill and blast operator must hold a current shotfirer’s licence and an explosives handling authority or permit to charge and fire blasts. These are issued at the state and territory level, so requirements differ across NSW, Queensland, WA and other jurisdictions, and a licence from one state may not be valid in another. Operators also need standard mining inductions and working rights in Australia.

Yes. Handling, transporting, storing and firing explosives are safety-critical, licensed activities regulated by state and territory explosives and mine safety legislation. Operators must hold the correct shotfirer’s licence and explosives authority, complete site-specific inductions and follow the site’s firing and exclusion procedures. Never allow unlicensed staff to charge or fire a blast.

Mandatory requirements should include: a current shotfirer’s licence, a valid explosives handling authority, standard and site inductions, and working rights in Australia. Preferred qualifications typically include previous surface or underground blast-crew experience, a driver’s licence with HR or MC and load-and-haul tickets, and first aid. Emphasise the licensed, safety-critical nature of the role in the ad.

The firing role itself requires a licensed shotfirer, so it is not an entry-level position. However, you can hire less experienced crew members into support roles on the blast crew and develop them toward a shotfirer’s licence over time. Be clear in the job description about which licences are mandatory before the operator can charge and fire independently.

This depends on your operation. Casual employees offer flexibility for short campaigns or contract work but attract a 25% loading under the Mining Industry Award. Permanent staff on a FIFO roster provide continuity and are easier to build a stable blast crew around. Many operations use a mix of permanent crew and casuals or contractors for peak periods.

Under the Mining Industry Award, Saturday work is paid at 150% for the first three hours and 200% after, Sunday at 200% and public holidays at 250%. Afternoon and night shifts attract a 15% loading, rising to 30% for permanent night shift. An underground allowance of around $2.06 per hour also applies where relevant. Use award interpretation software to calculate rates accurately.

FIFO and continuous 12-hour rosters mean a lot of hours fall on weekends, nights and public holidays, so overtime and penalty rates make up a significant part of total pay. Fatigue management rules also shape how swings and shifts are built. See our guides on mining and FIFO worker pay and FIFO roster patterns for detail.

Key elements include: position title and classification level, employment type (casual, part-time or full-time), hourly rate or salary, the applicable award or enterprise agreement, roster pattern and point of hire, main duties, required licences and the safety-critical nature of the role. For casuals, state the loading. Use our digital employment contracts to simplify this process.

Blast crews usually work continuous 12-hour day and night shifts across a swing, so rosters must balance coverage, travel and mandated rest. Mining rostering software lets you build repeating FIFO patterns, see who holds current shotfirer’s licences and track hours against fatigue limits. See our guide to rostering mining staff for a step-by-step approach.

Fatigue is a major risk on continuous 12-hour mining rosters and directly affects safe explosives handling. Build in adequate rest between shifts and swings, monitor consecutive shifts and hours, and follow your site’s fatigue management plan. Our article on managing fatigue on FIFO rosters covers practical controls, and time and attendance tracking helps you monitor actual hours worked.

Remote pits and camps make manual timesheets error-prone. Time and attendance tools let crews clock on and off from site, capture actual hours against the roster and feed straight into payroll. This keeps penalty and overtime calculations accurate and gives supervisors visibility of who is on site each shift.

Store each operator’s shotfirer’s licence and explosives authority, with expiry dates, in your HR software and reference them when building the roster. Only roster operators with current licences to charging and firing tasks, and flag upcoming expiries so nobody works past a lapsed ticket. This protects both compliance and site safety.