NOC 73402 job description: construction blaster duties and responsibilities
- 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.
- 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
See every job title and its code in the A–Z job title index, or all TEER 3 jobs.
Is NOC 73402 eligible for Express Entry?
By TEER, yes. TEER 3 is inside the TEER 0 to 3 range that the Federal Skilled Worker Program and Canadian Experience Class accept, and NOC 73402 is also on the Federal Skilled Trades list. You still need qualifying work experience, language test results and enough CRS points to get an invitation. Category-based draws and provincial nominee programs use their own occupation lists.
| Program | TEER check | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Skilled Worker | TEER qualifies | TEER 3 is within TEER 0 to 3 |
| Canadian Experience Class | TEER qualifies | TEER 3 is within TEER 0 to 3 |
| Federal Skilled Trades | Listed trade | NOC 73402 is in a trade group IRCC accepts. Check IRCC |
| Spouse's open work permit | Qualifies | On IRCC's TEER 2–3 list. SOWP rules |
Category-based draws: NOC 73402 is not on any category-based selection list (checked 2026-10-16). Under NOC 2016, TEER 3 was skill level B ("NOC B").
Category-based Express Entry draws and provincial nominee programs use their own occupation lists. Check the current lists on IRCC's Express Entry page and provincial nominee page.
NOC 73402: common questions
What is NOC 73402?
NOC 73402 is the code for drillers and blasters - surface mining, quarrying and construction in Canada's National Occupational Classification (NOC 2021). Its first digit, 7, is the broad category and its second digit, 3, is the TEER level. Immigration forms, job offers and LMIA applications use this five-digit code.
What TEER is NOC 73402?
NOC 73402 is TEER 3. Occupations that usually need a college program or apprenticeship of less than two years, or more than six months of on-the-job training. Under the older NOC 2016 system, TEER 3 lines up with skill level B.
Is NOC 73402 eligible for Express Entry and PR?
By TEER, yes. TEER 3 is inside the TEER 0 to 3 range that the Federal Skilled Worker Program and Canadian Experience Class accept, and NOC 73402 is also on the Federal Skilled Trades list. You still need qualifying work experience, language test results and enough CRS points to get an invitation. Category-based draws and provincial nominee programs use their own occupation lists.
Is NOC 73402 in a category-based Express Entry draw?
No. As of IRCC's list dated 2026-10-16, NOC 73402 is not in any category-based selection list (healthcare, STEM, trades, education, transport and others). You can still be invited in general and program-specific draws.
Is NOC 73402 eligible for a spousal open work permit (SOWP)?
Yes. NOC 73402 is on IRCC's list of TEER 3 occupations that qualify, so a worker in this job can support a spouse's open work permit, as long as their own work permit has at least 16 months left when the spouse applies (IRCC page modified 2026-06-12).
What is the NOC code for a construction blaster?
Construction blaster is listed under NOC 73402, drillers and blasters - surface mining, quarrying and construction. The job title alone does not decide your code: your duties should match the main duties of NOC 73402.
How do I know if NOC 73402 is my NOC code?
Compare what you actually do with the main duties listed for NOC 73402, not just your job title. IRCC expects your duties to match the lead statement and most of the main duties of the code you choose. If they fit another code better, use that one. You can paste your duties into nocfinder to see how they line up, duty by duty.
Source: ESDC NOC 2021 · IRCC program pages. Not legal advice.