This is where your career in the energy industry can begin. You might not know much about the industry, but you have a positive attitude, a willingness to learn and a strong work ethic. As a drilling and service rig labourer, you learn the ropes. You’ll get exposure to different occupations required to drill or service wells, such as power tong operators, coiled tubing operators, testers and cementers.

Drilling and service rig labourers assist operators on drilling rigs and service rigs with general labour, such as cleaning equipment to ensure it is properly functioning. This occupation is considered entry-level. Work on a land-based drilling rig is seasonal with the vast majority of the work occurring during the fall and winter months. Offshore drilling, meanwhile, is carried out by drill ships or platform drill rigs known as “jackup rigs.” Both onshore and offshore drilling rigs operate 24-hours a day and can take several weeks to drill a single well. Onshore service rigs are mobile and service rig labourers are responsible for getting the rig and supporting equipment from one well site to the next. An offshore service ship is a floating version of a service rig and crews stay aboard for as long as it takes to service the well.

The typical roles on a drilling rig include:

• Floorhands assist in placing pipe into wells, collecting samples of drill debris for analysis, mixing mud and chemicals, and cleaning and maintaining equipment.
• Leasehands typically perform general labour and maintenance tasks around the rig site including loading and unloading trucks, clearing debris from walkways, cleaning tools and putting items away.

The typical roles on a service rig include:

• Floorhands assist with moving a rig and equipment from one site to another and can also help move tubing in and out of the wellbore. They also keep a rig, equipment and site tidy.

Transferability information for this occupation is available on the Oil and gas drilling, servicing and related labourers