NOC 73402: Drillers and blasters - surface mining, quarrying and construction
What drillers and blasters - surface mining, quarrying and construction do
Drillers and blasters in surface mining, quarrying and construction operate mobile drilling machines to bore blast holes in open-pit mines and quarries and to bore holes for blasting and for building foundations at construction sites. Blasters in this unit group fill blast holes with explosives and detonate explosives to dislodge coal, ore and rock or to demolish structures. They are employed by mining, quarrying and construction companies and by drilling and blasting contractors.
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
- Drillers
- Drive and operate tracked or truck-mounted rotary drilling, air-track or other drilling machines to bore large blast holes to specified depths at staked positions in open-pit mine or quarry
- Operate drilling machines to drill blast holes in rock at road or other construction sites
- Operate tracked or truck-mounted drill equipped with auger or other attachment to drill holes for building foundations or pilings
- May measure location and stake out pattern of holes to be drilled, load blast holes with explosives and detonate explosives to dislodge coal, ore or rock.
- Blasters
- Read instructions or diagrams, lay out drill pattern and determine depth and diameter of blast holes and conduct field tests to determine type and quantity of explosives required
- Assemble or direct other workers to assemble primer charges using selected detonators, fuses, detonating cords and other materials
- Load explosives in blast holes by hand or direct movement of bulk explosives trucks to load holes
- Connect electrical wires, detonating cords or fuses into series and connect series to blasting machines; press handle or button to detonate charges
- Handle, store and transport explosives and accessories in accordance with regulations and ensure that safety procedures are observed
- May operate air-track, rotary, down-the-hole or other drilling machines to drill blast holes or may direct drilling of blast holes.
Job titles under NOC 73402
20 job titles are classified here, including blaster - quarrying, blaster - surface mining, construction driller.
- air-track drill operator - construction
- blaster - quarrying
- blaster - surface mining
- blaster (except underground mining)
- construction blaster
- construction driller
- core drill operator - construction, surface mining and quarrying
- diamond drill operator - surface mining and quarrying
- driller - quarrying
- driller - surface mine
- driller - surface mining
- drilling machine operator - construction
- foundation drill operator
- foundation drill operator - construction
- open-pit blaster
- open-pit driller
- quarry driller
- rotary drilling machine operator
- rotary drilling machine operator - surface mining and quarrying
- seismic prospecting driller
Employment requirements
- Completion of secondary school is usually required.
- On-the-job training is provided.
- Experience as a heavy equipment operator may be required for drillers.
- Experience as a blaster helper in surface mining and quarrying or construction may be required for blasters.
- Provincial blasting licence is usually required for blasters.
- Trade certification for blasters is compulsory in Nova Scotia.
Drillers and blasters - surface mining, quarrying and construction wages in Canada
Low, median and high hourly wages from Job Bank’s 2025 wage data. Annual figures assume full-time work (1,950 hours a year).
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Canada | $27.00/hr | $37.50/hr | $49.00/hr |
Vancouver Lower Mainland region, BC | $27.50/hr | $39.93/hr | $47.71/hr |
Calgary AB | $26.00/hr | $38.50/hr | $51.56/hr |
Edmonton AB | $27.00/hr | $38.00/hr | $50.15/hr |
Ottawa ON | $26.00/hr | $35.00/hr | $47.28/hr |
Winnipeg MB | $25.00/hr | $32.55/hr | $48.44/hr |
Québec City Quebec region, QC | $28.00/hr | $39.82/hr | $47.00/hr |
Hamilton Hamilton–Niagara Peninsula region, ON | $26.00/hr | $35.00/hr | $47.28/hr |
Kitchener-Waterloo Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie region, ON | $26.00/hr | $35.00/hr | $47.28/hr |
Victoria Vancouver Island and Coast region, BC | $34.00/hr | $39.86/hr | $51.00/hr |
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Newfoundland and Labrador | $25.00/hr | $36.00/hr | $50.00/hr |
Quebec | $28.00/hr | $39.82/hr | $47.00/hr |
Ontario | $26.00/hr | $35.00/hr | $47.28/hr |
Manitoba | $25.00/hr | $32.55/hr | $48.44/hr |
Saskatchewan | $24.00/hr | $37.75/hr | $63.47/hr |
Alberta | $27.00/hr | $38.00/hr | $50.15/hr |
British Columbia | $31.60/hr | $40.00/hr | $50.14/hr |
Using NOC 73402 for your resume or Express Entry profile
- IRCC asks you to make sure the main duties listed for your NOC match what you actually did at your job. If they don’t, look for another unit group whose duties do.
- Describe your own work in your own words. Recruiters and ATS software look for concrete tools, results and scope, not text copied from the NOC.
- Applying from outside Canada? Run your resume through the Canadian resume format checker to catch things Canadian employers don’t expect, like a photo or date of birth.
- Use the job title the employer’s posting uses. The 20 titles above are how the same work is named across employers.
Not in this group
Similar jobs classified under a different NOC code:
- Blaster - underground mining (NOC 83100)
- Driller - oil and gas drilling (NOC 83101)
- Driller - underground mining (NOC 83100)
- Drilling and blasting foreman/woman - construction (NOC 72021)
- Surface mine supervisor (NOC 82020)
- Water well drillers (NOC 72501)
Frequently asked questions
What is the NOC code for drillers and blasters - surface mining, quarrying and construction?
Drillers and blasters - surface mining, quarrying and construction are NOC 2021 unit group 73402. Example job titles in this group include blaster - quarrying, blaster - surface mining, construction driller, driller - surface mine.
What TEER is NOC 73402?
NOC 73402 is TEER 3 (College or apprenticeship (under 2 years)). Usually requires a college program or apprenticeship of less than 2 years, or more than six months of on-the-job training. TEER 0, 1, 2 and 3 work counts as skilled work experience for Express Entry’s Federal Skilled Worker and Canadian Experience Class programs.
How much do drillers and blasters - surface mining, quarrying and construction earn in Canada?
Job Bank's 2025 wage data puts the median at $37.50/hr, about $73,000 a year full-time, with a range of $27.00/hr to $49.00/hr.
Related occupations
Sources: Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Version 1.0; Employment and Social Development Canada, Job Bank wages (2025). Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. OfferJetAI is not affiliated with the Government of Canada. Check IRCC’s NOC guidance before you apply.