Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas
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.
- Tasks
- 20 tasks16 core, 4 supplemental
- Family
- Construction & ExtractionOne of its 65 occupations
- Code
- 47-5012.00SOC 2018: 47-5012
What the work is made of
16 core tasks and 4 supplemental, each quoted as published, with the survey it came from.
Core: central to the jobSupplemental: done by some, not all
- Task 1. Train crews, and introduce procedures to make drill work more safe and effective.Core taskTask 8296Rated by 105 people who do the job, December 2005
- Task 2. 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.Core taskTask 8297Rated by 106 people who do the job, December 2005
- Task 3. Count sections of drill rod to determine depths of boreholes.Core taskTask 8298Rated by 103 people who do the job, December 2005
- Task 4. 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.Core taskTask 8299Rated by 106 people who do the job, December 2005
- Task 5. Connect sections of drill pipe, using hand tools and powered wrenches and tongs.Core taskTask 8300Rated by 106 people who do the job, December 2005
- Task 6. Maintain records of footage drilled, location and nature of strata penetrated, materials and tools used, services rendered, and time required.Core taskTask 8301Rated by 105 people who do the job, December 2005
- Task 7. Maintain and adjust machinery to ensure proper performance.Core taskTask 8302Rated by 106 people who do the job, December 2005
- Task 8. Start and examine operation of slush pumps to ensure circulation and consistency of drilling fluid or mud in well.Core taskTask 8303Rated by 105 people who do the job, December 2005
- Task 9. Locate and recover lost or broken bits, casings, and drill pipes from wells, using special tools.Core taskTask 8304Rated by 106 people who do the job, December 2005
- Task 10. Weigh clay, and mix with water and chemicals to make drilling mud.Core taskTask 8305Rated by 105 people who do the job, December 2005
- Task 11. Direct rig crews in drilling and other activities, such as setting up rigs and completing or servicing wells.Core taskTask 8306Rated by 104 people who do the job, December 2005
- Task 12. Monitor progress of drilling operations, and select and change drill bits according to the nature of strata, using hand tools.Core taskTask 8307Rated by 103 people who do the job, December 2005
- Task 13. Repair or replace defective parts of machinery, such as rotary drill rigs, water trucks, air compressors, and pumps, using hand tools.Core taskTask 8308Rated by 106 people who do the job, December 2005
- Task 14. Clean and oil pulleys, blocks, and cables.Core taskTask 8309Rated by 106 people who do the job, December 2005
- Task 15. Bolt together pump and engine parts, and connect tanks and flow lines.Core taskTask 8310Rated by 104 people who do the job, December 2005
- Task 16. Remove core samples during drilling to determine the nature of the strata being drilled.Core taskTask 8311Rated by 106 people who do the job, December 2005
- Task 17. Cap wells with packers, or turn valves, to regulate outflow of oil from wells.Supplemental taskTask 8312Rated by 106 people who do the job, December 2005
- Task 18. Line drilled holes with pipes, and install all necessary hardware, to prepare new wells.Supplemental taskTask 8313Rated by 105 people who do the job, December 2005
- Task 19. Position and prepare truck-mounted derricks at drilling areas specified on field maps.Supplemental taskTask 8314Rated by 104 people who do the job, December 2005
- Task 20. Plug observation wells, and restore sites.Supplemental taskTask 8315Rated by 105 people who do the job, December 2005
Where this comes from
Quoted from the U.S. Department of Labor, and credited. Nothing on this page is written by us.
How we copy and credit sources- Published byO*NET 29.0, U.S. Department of LaborEmployment and Training Administration
- ClassificationStandard Occupational Classification 2018, 47-5012
- LicenseCC BY 4.0Free to copy and reuse, with credit
- Changed by usNothing.
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