DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA
47-5012 Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas
Occupational 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. Excludes ?Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas? (47-5023).| Percentiles | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geography | Employment | Emp SE* | Mean | Mean SE* | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
| U S | 21,010 | 1,219 | $27.84/hr | $0.42/hr | $15.94/hr | $20.72/hr | $26.82/hr | $33.89/hr | $40.77/hr |
| *SE = Standard error, a measure of the statistical reliability of the estimate. | |||||||||
| Occupation (click title for details) | OES | Projections | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | Median Wage | % Change 2020 - 2030 | |
| Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators | 10,240 | $33.03/hr | 4.6% |
| Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators | 840 | $28.91/hr | 6.0% |
| Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators | 300 | $26.79/hr | 0.0% |
| Continuous Mining Machine Operators | 50 | $21.52/hr | N/A |
Tasks for Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas
- Observes pressure gauge and moves control to regulate speed of rotary table and pressure of tools at bottom of borehole.
- Lowers and explodes charge in borehole to start flow of oil from well.
- Repairs or replaces defective parts of machinery, using hand tools.
- Keeps record of footage drilled, location and nature of strata penetrated, and materials used.
- Caps well or turns valves to regulate outflow of oil from well.
- Fishes for and recovers lost or broken bits, casing and drill pipes from well, using special tools.
- Examines drillings or core samples from bottom of well to determine nature of strata.
- Withdraws core barrel from hole and extracts core from barrel.
- Connects sections of drill pipe, using hand tools and powered wrenches and tongs.
- Counts sections of drill rod to determine depth of borehole.
- Examines operation of slush pumps to ensure circulation and consistency of mud (drilling fluid) in well.
- Positions truck-mounted derrick at drilling area specified on field map.
- Pushes levers and brake pedals to control draw works which lowers and raises drill pipe and casing in and out of well.
- Selects and changes drill bits according to nature of strata, using hand tools.
