Drilling rig personnel set up and use drilling rigs to explore viable sites for producing oil and gas. Each rig consists of a derrick, draw-works, and other surface equipment to provide the forces needed for a drill pipe to bore a hole into the earth. After the drilling rig reaches the layer of earth that contains oil or gas, it is removed from the site, and then service rig personnel complete the well construction.
Service rigs maintain, complete, and abandon oil and gas wells. They are fully mobile units, carrying the derrick and rig floor to well sites. Service rig personnel drive rig equipment in convoy with other service rig vehicles from one well location to another.
In Alberta, drilling and service rig personnel may fall into 2 groups:
- Drilling and Service Rig Labourers
- Drilling and Service Rig Operators
Drilling and Service Rig Labourers
Drilling and service rig labourers are the most junior members of the crew.
Leasehands work on drilling rigs. They:
- Do housekeeping activities, such as:
- Cleaning ice from walkways
- Cleaning tools and equipment
- Putting rig tools and equipment away after use
- Help other crew members do odd jobs
- Help other crew members fulfil rig manager requests
- Watch for and remove hazards, such as debris and objects that are in the way of travel
- Load and unload casing, tubing trucks, or mud trucks after they are trained and certified on load equipment
Floorhands work on drilling rigs and service rigs. There are usually 2 floorhands on a crew of 5. They:
- Clean and organize tools, tool sheds, and rig equipment work areas
- Learn to operate power tongs, which connect and disconnect the lower thread ends of tubing or drill pipe (when it is being lowered into and pulled from the cased or open-hole wellbore)
- Catch samples of circulation returns or drilled cuttings on a drilling rig (to be analyzed by geologists on site)
- Help run tubing or casing into a well after drilling is completed
- Clean and maintain equipment as per the rig manager‘s or company’s policies
- Perform housekeeping tasks, such as:
- Keeping the service rig work floor or drilling floor clean
- Painting, organizing, or scrubbing around the rig
- Help service or drilling crew members as instructed
Drilling and Service Rig Operators
Motorhands work on drilling rigs. They:
- Regularly maintain drilling rig engines, transmissions, heating systems, diesel electric generators and motors, hydraulic systems, and other mechanical equipment
- Maintain equipment logs and preventative maintenance records
- Monitor inventories of fuels, oil filters, lube oils, greases, and other service items
- Work under the direction of the derrickhand and driller
- Supervise, train, and work with floorhands and labourers
- Ensure floorhands and labourers safely and efficiently participate in rig mobilization and de-mobilization (rig-up and tear-out)
Derrickhands work on drilling rigs and service rigs. They:
- Work under the direction of the driller
- Assist the driller with crew supervision, ensuring the crew works safely and efficiently
- Participate in rig mobilization and de-mobilization
- On drilling rigs, derrickhands:
- Operate and maintain drilling fluid systems and pumps during drilling
- Mix fluid chemicals and additives as required by the program
- Handle sections of drill string assembly from a platform on the rig derrick during tripping operations
- Monitor and record mud flows, volumes, and fluid properties (mud weight)
- On service rigs, derrickhands:
- Work high above the rig floor on a platform called a tubing board
- Guide lengths of tubing, testing instruments, or special servicing tools such as fishing tools or paraffin scraping devices as they are raised from or lowered into the well
- Steady items while they are connected or disconnected
- Inspect the derrick before it is raised or lowered
- Operate the rod basket, which is used to store sucker rods pulled from the well
- Pump fluid and maintain the pump and tank on location
Drillers or operators work on drilling rigs and service rigs. They:
- Operate the draw-works, rotary equipment, and pumps, and supervise the assembly of drill string (on drilling rigs)
- Operate hoisting equipment control panels (on service rigs)
- Ensure that safety and support equipment is functioning properly
- Keep a current record of operations and drilling progress
- Supervise rig mobilization and de-mobilization
- Supervise rig crews and the operation of equipment, ensuring they work safely and efficiently
- Train crew members
- Introduce procedures to help the crew work more safely and effectively
- Report directly to drilling and service rig managers
