Employment opportunities

A personal view from our Director, Mark Ribbands

I've included this section in our web because I receive a large number of letters and e-mails asking about employment opportunities, both with Ribbands Explosives and the explosives industry as a whole.

To those outside the industry, explosives disposal may have a rather glamorous image, perhaps generated by media treatment of our activities. Believe me - this is not really so! Once you've spent a long time lugging ammunition into muddy holes the glamour evaporates. But, there is still the fun aspect of seeing the stuff finally go off, which most full-time operators will admit, at least privately, is rather enjoyable. So to those thinking of entering the industry, I offer you my encouragement and best wishes. However, it is important to be realistic about the prospects, since this is a small, and in some fields shrinking, industry.

My company is primarily involved in explosives disposal - latterly large quantities of redundant military and civilian explosives and ammunition. Plus some area clearance - minefields and battle areas, that sort of stuff. We operate from our base in Norfolk, UK and at various range sites and clients’ premises in the UK and overseas. We are also involved in the import and export of specialised military equipment and explosives.

For our manpower requirements, we have a core of full-time employees; plus a list of regular staff who are contracted on a job-to-job basis. We do not operate at full capacity continuously, since the nature of the work results in quiet periods punctuated by times of intense activity.

Civilian Personnel

I am often asked by people without explosives experience how to obtain employment in the industry. To start in the explosives business as an employee, from scratch, is very difficult. Especially since there are not really any formal explosives engineering qualifications outside the military. For a civilian it is very difficult, but perhaps not impossible.

I sometimes use civilians who have 'learned the trade' through the quarrying industry, or in weapon design. Some of my guys just helped out with labouring - there's always the ubiquitous boxes to shift - and were taught about explosives as they went along. It all depends on who you meet and who you know and get along with. It's a very small world, and everyone tends to know everyone else. Many operators are worried that using a trainee with no experience of military explosives may result in them being hurt or killed or, much worse, killing someone else. This isn't necessarily true, but it's a well-ingrained attitude in the business. That said, I have often found that civilian personnel, especially those with weapon design experience, bring new ideas and new ways of looking at problems beyond the often inflexible drills taught by the military.

Ex-military personnel

If you are a serviceman or woman, and especially if you have explosives experience, you will know most of this already and I apologise for either patronising or boring you!

Within the UK military, the most appropriate qualifications for commercial use are the several grades of Ammunition Technician and ATO from the Royal Logistic Corps, and the various Bomb Disposal and EOD qualifications taught by the Royal Engineers. RAF and RN personnel either attend these courses, or have their own qualifications which are equally useful.

I receive a lot of mail from highly qualified ex-servicemen, many with front line service in Afghanistan, the Balkans, Northern Ireland, the KTO, the South Atlantic, and elsewhere, but who are now working outside the explosives industry, are bored, and are desperate to get back.

I am also sometimes asked whether it is worth terminating a successful military career to pursue explosives work in the civilian sector. I usually say no, it is not. Unless of course you already have a guaranteed, and long term appointment lined up, in which case you don't need my advice anyway.

Thank you for taking the trouble to read this. When we receive CVs and speculative applications from people, they are all read with interest. Even if we don't reply immediately, all applications are filed for future reference should something for which you are qualified comes up.

I maintain close contacts with the UK's Institute of Explosives Engineers, and serve on their Council from time to time. The IExpE is highly recommended as a forum for explosives users worldwide, and I certainly suggest that those interested in the subject join either as an Associate or Member.

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