Trade Details: "Oil and Gas Well Drilling Workers and Services Operators"

Oil and Gas Well Drilling Workers and Services Operators (NOC: 8412)
Oil and gas well drilling workers operate drilling and service rig machinery as
intermediate members of the rig crew. Oil and gas well services operators drive
trucks and operate specialized hydraulic pumping systems to place cement in wells or
to treat wells with chemicals, sand mixtures or gases to stimulate production.
Workers in this unit group are employed by drilling and well service contractors and
by petroleum producing companies.
The following are the most important Essential Skills for this trade:

• Numeracy
• Oral Communication

• Working with Others

NOTE: A Gap Analysis chart appears at the bottom of the page. This chart outlines
the data in the Skills summary analysis in a tabular format.

Skill Requirements
Below are Essential Skill categories and how they correspond to this occupation.
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succeeding. It can also help you see which Skills you may need to improve. Click on
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Numeracy important skill Required skill level: 1-3

Oil and Gas Well Drilling Workers and Services Operators:

• May weigh out quantities of chemicals to add to the mud mixture.

(measurement and calculation math), (1)
• May measure and tally the lengths of pipes being tripped down the well to tell
the driller the depth they have reached. (measurement and calculation math),
(1)
• May read oil and water pressure gauges to compare variations in readings at
different points in order to know when to adjust valves. (data analysis math),
(1)
• May estimate the amount of mud being lost in the drilling hole. (numerical
estimation), (1)
• May estimate the percentage of oil, water and sand in a sample taken from the
drill to record in the swab report. (numerical estimation), (1)
• May prepare invoices, including pricing quantities of cement and additives
 and calculating rental fees for tools using a rate. (money math), (2)
• May determine the fluid volume in a tank by measuring the depth of fluid in
the tank and multiplying by a coefficient; also calculate the amount of fluid
increase and decrease. (measurement and calculation math), (2)
• May calculate the volume in a 5-inch casing at a depth of 2150 metres using a
chart that gives the volume in cubic meters per 1000 metres of depth.
(measurement and calculation math), (2)
• May determine rates of flow of fluids into and out of the well to report
unexpected changes. (data analysis math), (2)
• May estimate the volume of fluid at a prescribed depth to determine pumping
speed and to control whether the pump will end with a downstroke or an
upstroke. (numerical estimation), (2)
• May calculate the number of minutes it will take to pump a volume of fluid
into the well, based on the volume per pump stroke and the number of strokes
per minute. (measurement and calculation math), (3)

• May monitor gauges and analyze the relationships between pressures, weights
and rates of flow to make sure levels are according to the prescribed program
and to watch for unexpected changes which may mean shutting a system
down. (data analysis math), (3)

Oral Communication important skill Required skill level: 1-2

Oil and gas well drilling workers and services operators may:

• Give and receive warnings of safety hazards such as an undone safety latch
on a winch line.
• Talk with the driller and floorhands to discuss the number of pipes they will
be using, co-ordinate their tasks and report pipe lengths.
• Receive instructions from a consultant about how much additive to add to
water to produce the correct density of fluid to maintain adequate pressures
and keep oil or gas from coming up the well.
• Report changes in pressures, volumes and flow rates to a consultant or other
crews on site so that potential problems can be addressed.
• Instruct roughnecks and new workers about mud mixture procedures and
quantities, and answer their questions.
• Consult with the nitrogen supervisor about activities at the site and problems
with the work or equipment.

• Participate in pre-job safety meetings to discuss job outlines, procedures,

hazards, potential problems and tools and materials needed. listening and
questioning are important for clarifying instructions and avoiding confusion.

Working with Others important skill Required skill level:

Oil and gas well drilling workers and services operators work as part of a team in a
rig crew of up to six people. they mostly perform their tasks independently; however,
drilling workers work in close co-ordination with the driller and floorhands when
tripping pipe in or out, and service operators work with one or more helpers on large
jobs.

Reading Text Required skill level: 1-3

Oil and gas well drilling workers and services operators:

• Read instructions written on the blackboard in the mud room.

• Read manuals when studying for tickets on subjects such as the workplace
hazardous materials information system (whmis), the transportation of
dangerous goods (tdg) and first aid.
• Read material safety data sheets (msds) posted for the various materials used
in mixing the mud for pumping into the well. it is important that they know
this information in order to mix the potentially caustic materials correctly.
• May read training and operation manuals to learn and review procedures,
such as blowout prevention and well control procedures; the manuals contain
text supplemented by diagrams, charts and schematics.
• May read company memos that describe safety precautions and new
procedures and policies.

• May consult an engineering handbook to look up information on procedures

or chemicals.

Document Use Required skill level: 1-3

Oil and gas well drilling workers:

• Read identification labels on lubricants, salt, inhibitor and other fluid

additives.
• Read safety signs and notices posted on the rig.
• Record mud flows and volumes onto a swab report and a mud sheet, both of
which are in table format. (daily)
• May complete a job hazards analysis form that lists who was at safety
meetings, the kind of job to be done that day and hazards and concerns. they
also read such forms prepared by others to be aware of safety concerns.
• Read a mud report and pressure and volume chart to know how much fluid
and what density of fluid to pump into a well to keep the oil or gas from
coming up.
• May read a pump manual to check the placement of a particular part in the
pump.
• Oil and gas well services operators:
• Read road signs and labels on trucks and equipment, to locate the rig to be
serviced and to know what other services are on site.
• Make log book entries recording work times, locations and tasks. they
 complete expense sheets based on log information.
• Complete a tally sheet recording the amount of nitrogen used at a well, or
complete an invoice ticket showing the amount of cement used.
• Read call sheets providing specific sequential instructions of what is to be
done at the well. the sheets include a diagram of the well and data on depths,
pressures, chemicals, diameters and rates of flow, all related to times and
procedures.
• Complete treatment reports throughout the day, recording what is being done,
times of changes, pressures, weights, temperatures, and flow rates. the reports
are on paper or entered in laptop computers. they also read treatment reports
to know activity status and to note stress points and times.
• May read a line graph with several coloured lines showing cement flow and
variations over a period of time. they mark on the graph significant points of
change.

• May read on a computer screen a schematic representation of the activity and

formations in a well in order to check how the information correlates with
gauge readings.

Writing Required skill level: 1

Oil and gas well drilling workers and services operators may:

• Record mud flows and volumes onto a swab report and a mud sheet, both of
which are in table format with a space for remarks. (daily)
• Complete a job hazards analysis form at safety meetings listing participants,
the kind of job to be done that day and hazards and concerns.
• May keep a log of their own activities; may write reminder notes to
themselves about what to report.

• Complete treatment reports throughout the day, recording activities, times of

changes, pressures, weights, temperatures and flow rates.

Problem Solving Required skill level: 1-3

Oil and gas well drilling workers and services operators may:

• Find that a pump is frozen. they warm up the frozen pump by using steam.
operating a pump while frozen could crack the head on a costly piece of
equipment.
• Handle pipe that has been pulled out of line. they must bring the pipe back
into position without causing it to jump or spring out and injure someone.
• Lose a drill bit down the well and have to identify the type of bit and the right
tool for retrieving it.
• Encounter a problem when a truck breaks down on site. they try to make
 repairs so the job can continue and not delay the work of other crews.

• Deal with pump malfunction, for example when it loses pressure or stops
drawing fluid. they report the problem and are also involved in solving it
because they know the pump better than others do.

Decision Making Required skill level: 1-3

Oil and gas well drilling workers may:

• Repeatedly, throughout the day, decide whether to insert pipe into the drill
elevator as it comes up to their derrick platform, or whether the elevator is
going too fast to be safely handled and to let it go by.
• Decide what chemicals to mix and how to mix them to keep the mud at a
specific density as indicated on the mud report.
• Decide how to arrange the pipes in the rack as they come out of the well,
keeping in mind what arrangement is most efficient if the hydraulic arm
broke and the pipes had to be maneuvered manually.
• Make decisions about rig setup procedures, maintenance and cleaning tasks
for themselves and for floorhands.
• Oil and gas well services operators:
• May decide to order more cement or water.
• Decide to repair a piece of equipment in the field rather than sending it off-
site.
• May decide on the safest means to connect the nitrogen unit to the well.
• May decide to shut down the nitrogen pumping operation when a pressure
changes rapidly.

• Contribute to decisions about making changes in the well program as a result

of unexpected conditions in the well.

Job Task Planning Required skill level: 2

Oil and gas well drilling workers and services operators follow schedules and task
sequences determined by supervisors and the job plan. They prepare materials and
maintain equipment needed in their tasks. They co-ordinate their work with the rest
of the crew and adjust their tasks as conditions change and as supervisors advise.

Finding Information Required skill level: 1-3

Oil and gas well drilling workers and services operators may:

• Ask the driller or toolpush for clarification and advice about tasks.
• Get information from oil company consultants and supervisors about the
well's condition, and about processes and procedures.
 • Consult charts, training manuals or an engineers handbook to look up and
interpret the relationships between pipe sizes, pressures, volumes and rate of
flow.

Computer Use Required skill level: 0-2

Oil and Gas Well Drilling Workers and Services Operators:

• They may enter particular pressures and rates for an acid treatment job, using
a customized program. (1)

• Use other computer applications. for example, use a custom-designed

program to monitor well condition readings during operation. (1)

Use of Memory Required skill level:

Oil and Gas Well Drilling Workers and Services Operators:

• May remember instructions from the driller and the toolpush, such as to pump
at a certain rate until a certain volume has been pumped and then to pump at a
different rate.
• May remember the number of joints of pipe made up so far to know how
many more will be needed to reach a certain depth.
• May remember the job plan, e.g., levels and rates to be maintained; remember
changes to the plan.
• May remember a particular condition in a well, how it was handled, and what
worked in order to apply this information to other problem situations.

• May remember coefficients for volume calculations.

Continuous Learning Required skill level:

Oil and gas well drilling workers and services operators learn continuously through
on-the-job experience and talking with co-workers. they may be required to maintain
safety certifications for workplace hazardous materials information system (whmis),
transportation of dangerous goods (tdg), and hydrogen sulphide handling. in addition,
some companies provide oil and gas well services operators with several levels of
operators' training with the possibility of their eventually becoming supervisors.

Other Information Required skill level:

Oil and gas well drilling workers and services operators use many body positions.
they may stand on a derrick platform about a meter square in size positioned 85 feet
above the ground, to trip pipe; walk between the pump, rig tank and well head; climb
up and down the derrick; bend, stretch and climb to carry and pound heavy rotating
pieces of iron into place.

The oil and gas well drilling workers and services operators interviewed felt that oil
and gas well drilling workers and services operators should be patient with
equipment and co-operative with other workers, focussed on dangerous and fast-
paced work, adaptable, willing to work long hours and willing to learn and to obey
instructions.

In the future, oil and gas well drilling workers and services operators will likely use
more computerized equipment and do more record keeping on paper and by
computer. new technology and new environmental regulations will involve the
workers in further training and the use of more textual reading, document use and
computer skills.