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Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas - 47-5012.00

O*NET-SOC Description

Set up or operate a variety of drills to remove underground oil and gas, or remove core samples for testing during oil and gas exploration.

Sample of Reported Job Titles

Daylight Driller
Drill Operator
Driller
Drilling Rig Operator
Motor Man

Oil Rig Driller
Oil Well Driller
Relief Driller
Tool Pusher

SOC Occupation Groups

47-0000	Construction and Extraction Occupations
47-5000	Extraction Workers
47-5010	Derrick, Rotary Drill, and Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas
47-5012.00	Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas

Related Occupations

47-5011.00	Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas
47-5013.00	Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas
47-5023.00	Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas
47-5041.00	Continuous Mining Machine Operators
47-5071.00	Roustabouts, Oil and Gas
47-5081.00	Helpers--Extraction Workers
51-4032.00	Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
51-8093.00	Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers
53-7031.00	Dredge Operators
53-7073.00	Wellhead Pumpers

Tasks

Bolt together pump and engine parts, and connect tanks and flow lines.
Cap wells with packers, or turn valves, to regulate outflow of oil from wells.
Clean and oil pulleys, blocks, and cables.
Connect sections of drill pipe, using hand tools and powered wrenches and tongs.
Count sections of drill rod to determine depths of boreholes.
Direct rig crews in drilling and other activities, such as setting up rigs and completing or servicing wells.
Line drilled holes with pipes, and install all necessary hardware, to prepare new wells.
Locate and recover lost or broken bits, casings, and drill pipes from wells, using special tools.
Maintain and adjust machinery to ensure proper performance.
Maintain records of footage drilled, location and nature of strata penetrated, materials and tools used, services rendered, and time required.
Monitor progress of drilling operations, and select and change drill bits according to the nature of strata, using hand tools.
Observe pressure gauge and move throttles and levers to control the speed of rotary tables, and to regulate pressure of tools at bottoms of boreholes.
Plug observation wells, and restore sites.
Position and prepare truck-mounted derricks at drilling areas specified on field maps.
Push levers and brake pedals to control gasoline, diesel, electric, or steam draw works that lower and raise drill pipes and casings in and out of wells.
Remove core samples during drilling to determine the nature of the strata being drilled.
Repair or replace defective parts of machinery, such as rotary drill rigs, water trucks, air compressors, and pumps, using hand tools.
Start and examine operation of slush pumps to ensure circulation and consistency of drilling fluid or mud in well.
Train crews, and introduce procedures to make drill work more safe and effective.
Weigh clay, and mix with water and chemicals to make drilling mud.