Roughnecks
Although it may be considered one of the toughest jobs in the Oil & Gas Industry, roughnecks start off in a strong position to learn the rig and operations needed to advance within the oilfield ranks.
Starting out, roughnecks are on the lowest rank of the totem pole when it comes to rig workers. Fortunately, they make very good money and most only work half the year! The salary range for roughnecks average between $45,000 to $60,000 per year. When working offshore, most roughnecks work on rotating schedules consisting of 7 days on, and 7 days off, or often 14 days on and 7 days off. When working overseas, a roughneck’s normal rotation is 30 days on and 30 days off.
Roughnecks making up pipe.
Roughnecks – The First Step to an Oil and Gas Career
Roughnecks are at the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to offshore work. Most people looking to get into the oil industry with no experience start off by “roughnecking,” but some work their way up as a roustabout (Roustabouts do most of the painting and cleaning so the roughnecks can do the actual drilling work.) Although this is normally a beginner’s position, it offers excellent pay and is an excellent learning opportunity. There is no better way to learn your way around a drilling rig than hands on experience. Roughnecks that put in the hard work and make every effort to learn the rig operations can move up quickly through the chain of command. Many of the top paid rig workers started off as roughnecks before becoming drillers and tool pushers.
So what do Roughnecks do?
Roughnecks spend most of their time on the rig floor connecting joints for the drill string when “making hole.” Also, when pulling pipe, roughnecks are responsible for breaking the connections. The driller is directly in charge of all the roughnecks, and it is his responsibility to keep them safe while coaching them to work quickly and efficiently. Roughnecks typically take care of most of the equipment maintenance on rig used in drilling operations. Although roughnecks spend the majority of their time drilling new wells, they may also be involved in completions as well. Once a well is drilled and oil is found, the producer (Oil company) will come back and complete the well by running additional casing strings (for structural support), packers, artificial lift equipment, SCSSV’s, tubing hangers, and the X-mas tree. Most of these operations are normally supervised and completed by service hands, but the roughnecks are constantly running tubing and helping the service hands as needed.
Band of Brothers; Band of Roughnecks
Roughnecks sure do put in a ton of hard work, but there are still plenty of fun and games. Your coworkers on the rig will soon be like your second family. You’ll both laugh and cry together. You’ll hear stories of each other’s children, tell stories of the latest fishing or hunting trip, and of course you’ll be rooming with one to four other guys. You will definitely get close to some and butt heads with others. This is the oilfield way. Don’t forget about pranks either because roughnecks will get the worse of it from the older guys on the rig. As roughnecks, you’ll want to stick together. So don’t get mad the next time you find a row of ear plugs melted to the top of your hard hat, courtesy of one of your fellow roughnecks.
Working on a drilling rig is tough. You work long hours and will definitely be tired at the end of the day, but you’ll still have time to kick back and have some good times. So what are the living conditions like for roughnecks?
What are the living conditions like for roughnecks?
Living conditions for roughnecks vary widely depending on several factors. When working on land rigs, they could be staying in converted buildings on the grounds of the well site, they could be staying at the nearest hotel, or they could travel from their home if they site is close enough.
Roughnecks working offshore also have some varying conditions. On most jack-ups, inland barges, or drilling platforms roughnecks will be sleeping in a small bedroom with 4 bunks. Communal showers are the norm and are normally located in the locker room where rig workers store their steel toe boots, hardhats, safety glasses, and other rig essentials. Most locations also have a TV room where workers can relax and watch movies on satellite or DVD. The rig will also have a galley that serves hot food at least 4 times a day if there is both a day and a night crew. On some rigs with small galleys, roughnecks and other rig hands have the privilege of eating before the service hands – which many service hands are not always happy about! Hopefully, there is a good cook on board! Roughnecks can expect to eat hamburgers, spaghetti, steaks, and more!
Lastly, the luckiest roughnecks work on the largest and most technologically advanced drilling rigs which are equipped with much nicer facilities. The Cajun Express for example, a large semi-submersible rig, will make you feel like you are staying at a nice hotel when you’ve been working on smaller rigs your whole life! On rigs such as this, roughnecks can enjoy a two bunk room with a personal bathroom and shower connecting two rooms. You may find TV rooms for watching movies, game rooms to play Xbox, and even computer / phone rooms to keep in touch with family. Roughnecks that didn’t get enough of a workout on the rig floor on his 12 hour shift can head to the weight room to build some muscle. On the nicest rigs, the galley is almost like a nice restaurant. Not only do they serve the normal offshore fair, but some rigs will include a second line for healthier food. Maybe you can enjoy some baked tilapia instead of a hot dog with chili. Lastly, you may catch some roughnecks playing a game of poker in the game room which also includes, a foosball table and a shuffle board.
So for all you potential roughnecks looking for a job, start searching for jobs forRoughnecks.
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