- Operators
- Oil and gas well services operators
- NOC #8412
Oil and gas well services operators
As the well services operator, you are involved in completing and treating wells with chemicals, sand mixtures or gases to stimulate production.
Well services operators drive trucks, operate specialized equipment and include specialized roles such as:
I'm interested in a career in
- Sub-sector Oil and gas services, Offshore
- Environment Primarily outdoor work
- Average Salary $61,000 to $120,000
- Education High school diploma
- Career Demand Growing
In this occupation, activities may include:
- Driving well services trucks to well sites
- Assembling pumping equipment and attaching pumps and hoses to the wellhead
- Operating hydraulic pumping systems to pump chemicals, gases, sand, cement or other material into the well
- Reading gauges to monitor pressure, density, rate and concentration and adjusting pumping procedure as required
- Mixing chemicals and cements
More detailed activities are found under each specialty listed above.
Education
- A high school diploma is required as well as three- to six-months of formal on-the-job training, college or industry-approved training courses and four or more years of rig experience.
Certifications
- Standard and emergency first aid
- Construction Safety Training System (CSTS)
- Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS)
- H2S Alive®
- Transportation of dangerous goods (TDG)
- Confined space entry
- Fall protection and rig rescue
- Safety management and regulatory awareness for well site supervision
- Oil well operator (boiler) certificate
Licensing
- A provincial blaster’s licence is required for well perforation services
- Valid class 5 driving licence
Nature of work and environment conditions specific to oil and natural gas include:
- Travel likely required
- Shiftwork/variable work hours
- Primarily outdoor work
- Physical work
- Safety-sensitive environment
- Work away from home/in camps
- Mechanical
- Mathematics
- Customer and personal service
- Engineering and technology
- Public safety and security
- Education and training
- Sales and marketing
- Chemistry
- English language
- Administration and management
- Sub-sector Carbon capture, utilization and storage, Well site decommissioning
- Environment Primarily outdoor work
- Average Salary Equal to oil and gas
- Education High school diploma
- Career Demand Growing
- Skills Upgrading None
-
Direct
Good news! The skills gained as a well services operator in oil and natural gas are directly transferable to the CCUS and well site decommissioning sub-sectors of cleantech.
In this occupation, activities may include:
- Driving well services trucks to well sites
- Assembling pumping equipment and attaching pumps and hoses to the wellhead
- Operating hydraulic pumping systems to pump chemicals, gases, sand, cement or other material into the well
- Reading gauges to monitor pressure, density, rate and concentration and adjusting pumping procedure as required
- Mixing chemicals and cements
More detailed activities are found under each specialty listed above.
Education
- A high school diploma is required as well as three- to six-months of formal on-the-job training, college or industry-approved training courses and four or more years of rig experience.
Certifications
- Standard and emergency first aid
- Construction Safety Training System (CSTS)
- Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS)
- H2S Alive®
- Transportation of dangerous goods (TDG)
- Confined space entry
- Fall protection and rig rescue
- Safety management and regulatory awareness for well site supervision
- Oil well operator (boiler) certificate
Licensing
- A provincial blaster’s licence is required for well perforation services
- Valid class 5 driving licence
Nature of work and environment conditions specific to cleantech include:
- Shiftwork/variable work hours (CCUS | well site decommissioning)
- Travel required (CCUS | well site decommissioning)
- Work away from home/in camps (CCUS | well site decommissioning)
- Primarily outdoor work (CCUS | well site decommissioning)
- Physical work (CCUS | well site decommissioning)
- Less formal organizational structure (CCUS | well site decommissioning)
- Temporary/project-to-project work (CCUS | well site decommissioning)
- Freelance/contract opportunities (CCUS | well site decommissioning)
- Lower-risk tolerant culture (CCUS | well site decommissioning)
- Safety-sensitive environment (CCUS | well site decommissioning)
- Transition to a similar level (CCUS | well site decommissioning)
Nature of work and environment conditions specific to oil and natural gas include:
- Travel likely required
- Shiftwork/variable work hours
- Primarily outdoor work
- Physical work
- Safety-sensitive environment
- Work away from home/in camps
- Mechanical
- Mathematics
- Customer and personal service
- Engineering and technology
- Public safety and security
- Education and training
- Sales and marketing
- Chemistry
- English language
- Administration and management
- Sub-sector Geothermal
- Environment Primarily outdoor work
- Average Salary Equal to oil and gas
- Education High school diploma
- Career Demand Growing
- Skills Upgrading Minor
-
Refocus
A well services operator considering a career change from oil and natural gas to the geothermal sub-sector of renewables may need to complete some minor upskilling for a successful transition. Workers may need to familiarize themselves with more dynamic reservoirs than typically encountered in oil and natural gas production, with deeper reservoirs and, variable pressure, flow rates and temperatures.
In addition to the activities below, other activities in renewables may include:
- Applying knowledge of well completion processes and standards designed to ensure wells last for 25 -30 years. (geothermal)
- Adjusting practices to case entire wellbores using specialized cement. (geothermal)
- Completing well testing to ensure well integrity. (geothermal)
- Overseeing well stimulation activities. (geothermal)
In this occupation, activities may include:
- Driving well services trucks to well sites
- Assembling pumping equipment and attaching pumps and hoses to the wellhead
- Operating hydraulic pumping systems to pump chemicals, gases, sand, cement or other material into the well
- Reading gauges to monitor pressure, density, rate and concentration and adjusting pumping procedure as required
- Mixing chemicals and cements
More detailed activities are found under each specialty listed above.
Education
- A high school diploma is required as well as three- to six-months of formal on-the-job training, college or industry-approved training courses and four or more years of rig experience.
Certifications
- Standard and emergency first aid
- Construction Safety Training System (CSTS)
- Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS)
- H2S Alive®
- Transportation of dangerous goods (TDG)
- Confined space entry
- Fall protection and rig rescue
- Safety management and regulatory awareness for well site supervision
- Oil well operator (boiler) certificate
Licensing
- A provincial blaster’s licence is required for well perforation services
- Valid class 5 driving licence
Nature of work and environment conditions specific to renewables include:
- Shiftwork/variable work hours (geothermal)
- Travel required (geothermal)
- Work away from home/in camps (geothermal)
- Primarily outdoor work (geothermal)
- Physical work (geothermal)
- Temporary/project-to-project work (geothermal)
- Freelance/contract opportunities (geothermal)
- Lower-risk tolerant culture (geothermal)
- Safety-sensitive environment (geothermal)
- Transition to a similar level (geothermal)
Nature of work and environment conditions specific to oil and natural gas include:
- Travel likely required
- Shiftwork/variable work hours
- Primarily outdoor work
- Physical work
- Safety-sensitive environment
- Work away from home/in camps
- Mechanical
- Mathematics
- Customer and personal service
- Engineering and technology
- Public safety and security
- Education and training
- Sales and marketing
- Chemistry
- English language
- Administration and management
