By Bill Price
As PBOG Magazine continues its three-issue series on “The Making of a Well,” with coverage this issue of the drilling process (“Getting to the Bottom of Things,” p. 76), I’m tracking along by covering the various human resources (types of people) required in each of the various stages. In this second installment we focus only on the activity (and occupations) associated with the act of drilling the well.
Drilling is a large-scale, multi-faceted operation, involving not just on-site workers but off-site technical staff and support roles. But to keep things simple we will look only at those employees who work on the actual rig.
The toolpusher is in charge of the actual drilling rig at the site. Keep in mind the drilling rig typically does not belong to the production company. This is the highest position at the drilling location and the toolpusher is responsible for every crew. Toolpushers often stay in an on-site trailer for weeks at a time during operations. A driller is the supervisor of an individual roughneck crew and is responsible for a rig’s machinery and other rig operations during the drilling shift. There are often two roughneck crews, each working twelve hour shifts until the well is complete, though in some cases three eight-hour shifts are maintained.
This roughneck crew commonly consists of four to five people. The derrick hand is responsible for the mud pits, where drilling fluids and pooled and mud pumps circulate the fluids. The motorman is responsible for maintenance of various engines, water pumps, water lines, machinery, and movement of equipment on site. A floorhand (or worm) works on the rig floor where he is the one actually operating the tongs, tugger, and catwalk. The chainhand is a floorhand that can also throw chain.
Currently the greatest HR demand is for qualified workers on the drilling deck. According to Texas Workforce, the demand is expected to increase by 44 percent over the next five years for tool pushers, motor men, drill operators, roughnecks, and deck hands.
Roughneck salary is worth the effort although lower than workers with more advanced skills. Roughnecks are paid $16 to 25 per hour, depending on their skill and experience. A toolpusher’s salary is considerably better than that of a roughneck. But for the roughneck, per diem is usually generous and is considered part of the pay, though it only applies when the worker is out of town.
Workers like this are non-exempt workers—“non exempt” meaning they are paid by the hour. I found most salary databases, such as Texas Workforce and online sources such as Career Builder, are inaccurate as they do not include overtime pay. The fact is that overtime is not optional but is required for lower-level hourly positions. In fact, 60 to 80 hours per week is not uncommon. If an entry level job pays $20 per hour it would appear the worker earns $800 per week whereas in fact he earns something more like $2,000 per week. This works out to over $90,000 per year if there is little time taken off. Consequently, relatively few workers are able to maintain such a grueling pace year in and year out. If they are able to push that hard, personal health suffers and marriages fail.
The petroleum engineer continues to be involved in the well. There are three main types of petroleum engineers. Reservoir engineers optimize production of oil and gas via production rates and enhanced oil recovery techniques. Drilling engineers manage the technical aspects of drilling wells. Production engineers manage perforations, sand control, and downhole flow control, as well as monitor equipment, and evaluate artificial lift methods. Engineers will be covered in greater detail in a later article.
The following positions are also associated with the drilling phase but are not part of the drilling company. Job description and education data was provided by API while the salary and projected 5-year growth was provided by Texas Workforce Commission (2012 data).
Chemical Technician – Performs laboratory tests and tasks on soil and water samples. Minimum two-year diploma in chemical technology or a related program.
Compressor Operator – Maintains and troubleshoots natural gas compressors and associated equipment. May require training in compressor and dehydration equipment.
Field Engineer – Supervises all aspects of drilling, completion, and workover operations. Two- or four-year college degree or five-plus years experience in field operations.
Pumper/Well Tender – Maintains tank batteries, handles performance tests, and performs general maintenance duties. Some high school education is required.
Roustabout – pipe fitting, maintenance and repair of oil field equipment through manual labor, hand tools, and motorized equipment. High school diploma.