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Oil and Gas Well Drillers, Servicers, Testers and Related Workers (8232)

Job titles

  • assistant driller - offshore drilling rig
  • assistant driller - oil and gas well drilling
  • coring operator - oil field services
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Nature of work

Oil and gas well drillers and well servicers control the operation of drilling and hoisting equipment on drilling and service rigs, and direct the activities of the rig crew under supervision of the rig manager. Oil and gas well loggers, testers and related workers operate specialized mechanical or electronic equipment, tools or instruments to provide services in conjunction with well drilling, completion or servicing. Workers in this unit group are employed by drilling and well service contractors, petroleum producing companies and well logging or testing companies.

Fields of interest

  • Developing and working with natural resources
  • Working with your hands

Main duties

  • Oil and gas well drillers and well servicers perform some or all of the following duties:
  • - Direct rig crew in setting up rigs and drilling, completing or servicing oil and gas exploration and producing wells
  • - Operate controls of drill or service rig drilling and hoisting machinery
  • - Train or arrange for training of crew
  • - Maintain records of drilling and servicing operations.
  • Oil and gas well loggers, testers and related workers perform some or all of the following duties:
  • - Drive well service or wireline truck to well site
  • - Assemble and attach equipment, tools or recorders to drill stem or wireline to conduct required procedures and tests
  • - Operate or direct the operation of wireline or unit controls to lower, position and retrieve equipment and instruments
  • - Operate recorders and computers in mobile testing or logging unit to collect data
  • - May perform limited data interpretation.

Main characteristics of the occupation

These headings are provided for the following occupation(s) :

Employment requirements

  • * Completion of secondary school is usually required.
  • * Oil and gas well drillers and well servicers require three to six months of formal on-the-job training, college or Petroleum Industry Training Service (PITS) courses and four or more years of work experience in subordinate rig crew positions.
  • * A college diploma in drilling may be required.
  • * Offshore work requires several years of experience in an equivalent position on land.
  • * Certificates in first aid, hydrogen sulphide awareness, blowout prevention, well control, workplace hazardous materials information system (WHMIS), transportation of dangerous goods (TDG) and a special oil well operator (boiler) certificate are required.
  • * Oil and gas well loggers, testers and related workers require three to six months of formal on-the-job training and several years of experience in subordinate logging and testing positions or on drilling and servicing rigs.
  • * Completion of a college program in electronics or engineering technology may be required for open hole well logging.
  • * Provincial blaster licence, seismic blaster and oil well blaster certification is required for well perforation services.

Skill type

  • Occupations unique to primary industry

Skill level

  • Technical

More information

  • * Progression to crew supervisor or manager is possible with experience and additional education and training.
  • * Mobility between jobs on drilling and service rigs is limited by the differences in the machinery, tools and operations performed, but mobility is possible especially from drilling to service rigs.

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