DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

Operate equipment to increase oil flow from producing wells or to remove stuck pipe, casing, tools, or other obstructions from drilling wells. Includes fishing-tool technicians.

Occupational Employment Statistics(OES) Wage Data
Wages Updated to First Quarter, 2020

					Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	Mean SE*	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
EDR 11 - 7 County Twin Cities	N/A	4	N/A	$2.05/hr	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Minnesota	N/A	N/A	N/A	$0.71/hr	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
U S	51,760	1,863	$25.07/hr	$0.33/hr	$15.58/hr	$18.14/hr	$22.80/hr	$29.51/hr	$37.98/hr
*SE = Standard error, a measure of the statistical reliability of the estimate.

Related Occupations

Occupation (click title for details)	OES		Projections
	Employment	Median Wage	% Change  -
Crane and Tower Operators	100	$37.60/hr	N/A
Power Distributors and Dispatchers	70	$47.47/hr	N/A
Dredge Operators	N/A	N/A	N/A

• Operates equipment to increase oil flow from producing wells.
• Assembles and lowers detection instruments into wells having drill pipe, drilling tools, or other obstructions wedged in well.
• Assembles and operates sound wave generating and detecting mechanisms for determining fluid level in wells.
• Interprets instrument readings to ascertain depth of obstruction.
• Prepares reports of services rendered, tools used, and time required.
• Directs activities of preparing for and drilling around lodged obstacles or specified earth formations with specialized tools and whipstocks.
• Directs other worker to assemble and connect pipe and hydraulic lines of flushing equipment to wellhead.
• Directs drilling crew in installation of well-bottom equipment.
• Directs lowering of specialized equipment to point of obstruction.
• Observes variations on gauges, mud pumps, and pressure indicators, and listens to equipment to detect faulty operations or unusual conditions.
• Perforates well casing or sidewall of borehole with explosive charge.
• Confers with other personnel to gather information regarding size of pipes and tools and borehole conditions in wells.
• Plans fishing methods and selects tools for removing obstacles, such as liners, broken casing, screens, and drill pipe from wells.
• Starts pumps which circulate water, oil, or other fluid through well, removing sand and other materials obstructing free flow of oil.
• Moves controls to back off pipe or to sever pipe at point of obstruction.
• Analyzes conditions of unserviceable oil or gas wells and directs recovery of lost equipment and other obstacles from boreholes.
• Operates hoist to lower and raise tools.
• Operates equipment to remove stuck pipe, casing, tools, or other obstructions from drilling wells, using specialized subsurface tools and instruments.