Oil Rig Photos

Oil Rig Jobs

There are a great variety of types of jobs on oil rigs and other oil industry facilities. Of course there are the engineering jobs you would expect in an industry like this, but most rigs and production platforms have a crew living onboard, so there are places for Chefs and Catering Staff, Stewards, Medics, Radio Operators and Helicopter Landing Officers (HLO's).

On most offshore facilities the person in charge is the Offshore Installation Manager, commonly known as the OIM. On the drilling side, the Toolpusher is in charge, and under him the Driller and his Roughnecks and Roustabouts. Roughnecks handle the manual side of drilling operations, whilst Roustabouts deal with general maintenance of the drilling rig.

On production platforms and other facilities there may not be a drilling rig or any drill crew. There will be maintenance staff for the plant, including Crane Drivers, Deckhands, Electricians, Pipefitters and Welders. In the office, Safety Officers, Inspectors, Engineers and Control Room staff.

Specialist staff are brought onboard as required - Divers, ROV Crews and Rope Access Technicians perform tasks in difficult-to-get-to areas, and Scaffolders are needed when large maintenance jobs take place.

Often on smaller facilities workers may fill two or more roles - the Medic may also act as Admin Clerk, assigning workers to cabins when they arrive off the helicopter. A number of workers will act as Safety Reps, helping to ensure that all the work on board is done safely, and others will undergo training as Fire Crew or First Aiders in case of emergencies.

Everyone on board will take part in regular safety exercises including muster and lifeboat drills. In many countries, in order to go offshore you will have had to have been on an Offshore Survival Course, which will include training in escaping from capsized helicopters and smoke filled modules.

There are a variety of websites which will help you in finding a job - rigworker.com for instance.

Latest Pics