Nic is a regular guy's guy with a work-hard, play-hard
mentality. To keep his fast-paced lifestyle in-check, he jokes
about the number of energy drinks he regularly consumes and prefers
over coffee because it's "not healthy." At 25, Nic already has a
dream life of travel, good times and a great salary which he
credits to hard work in the petroleum industry. Currently, Nic
works in the drilling sector as a derrickhand working his
way up to become assistant driller
for Nabors
Drilling International.
A recent graduate of the University of Saskatchewan's Bachelor
of Commerce program, the accounting major did not anticipate a
career in the petroleum industry, let alone spending the last seven
years on the drilling rigs. Nic supported himself through
university by working on the rigs in his downtime. The office
culture in accounting did not appeal to Nic admitting, "I'm
definitely more adventurous and not your typical office,
suit-and-tie kind of guy. I wanted to earn a great salary, do
something challenging, and work with people that I could also
relate to."
"I originally wanted to go into forestry, but heard about the
opportunities in oil and gas. The wages you could earn were
definitely appealing, but I had no idea how to get my foot in the
door." So, Nic jumped into his old car, with $1500 cash in his
pocket, and began pounding the pavement for a job in Alberta. Soon
enough, Nic ran into a few oil and gas workers at his local gym and
they connected him to Human Resources for Bonus Well Serving. Nic
landed an interview and was hired on the spot.
At the ripe age of 18, Nic started his career in oil and gas as
a floorhand. Floorhands are entry-level labour positions working on
the rig floor with a drilling crew, made up of other leasehands,
floorhands,
motorhands,
derrickhands, a
driller, and a
rig manager. Drilling and service rig crews are hired by
exploration and development companies (also known as producers) to
explore, test, complete and hopefully produce oil or gas from the
well.
Nic recalls his first day on the job as a floorhand. "The first
day for anyone new to a drilling rig is extremely overwhelming and
you're somewhat awestruck. There was so much going on and equipment
I didn't know how to handle. You want to help but it's so
fast-paced and sometimes hard to keep up. I had to learn quickly
through on-the-job training, observation and taking safety
courses." Under the direction of the motorhand and driller, Nic was
responsible for safe operations and maintenance of drilling
equipment, cleaning, assembly and insertion of drilling pipes and
surface casing downhole. He also helped in "tripping in and
tripping out" - the process of running drill pipe into the well or
removing pipe from the well to change a worn drill bit or complete
a well test.
Nic quickly recognized the importance of safety on the job and
developed a great appreciation for the industry training he
received. "I've taken H2S Alive,
fall arrest training, rig rescue and first aid. There can be
hazards and dangers on the job if you don't know what you're doing.
Luckily the safety training
builds your confidence and is very important to do the job
properly."
Now as a derrickhand, Nic is responsible for mud systems and
monitoring drilling fluid (known as mud). Mud is critical to
drilling operations - it lubricates and cools the drill bit as it
cuts through rock, removes excess rock cuttings and helps to
maintain constant pressure in the well. Drilling fluid is composed
of various minerals and chemicals and must be monitored regularly
for appropriate weight and density.
Additional Resources
Entry-level positions within a drilling or service rig crew
typically do not require experience other than high school, H2S Alive training, first-aid, a driver's
license, and workers must be 18 years of age or older. When workers
become motorhands, they can have their hours counted towards a
Journeyman Certificate in the Rig Technician trade by registering
with their provincial apprenticeship board (in Alberta,
British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Northwest Territories).
Note: Leasehands, floorhands and rig managers are not part of
the Rig Tech trade. Rig Tech training begins at the motorhand
level.
"As a derrickhand, I start my day with a safety meeting with the
entire crew. We discuss safety procedures and any potential hazards
we should be aware of. Then I check in with relief (other
derrickhand coming off of a shift) where I am briefed on changes
made to the drilling mud. With the right density, the mud creates
enough pressure to prevent formation fluids, such as oil, gas and
water from entering the well before we're ready. The mud also plugs
porous rock formations and allows drilling at greater depths. The
mud is then forced up the wellbore carrying shale (pieces of rock)
to the surface. Shakers separate the rock bits from the mud so we
can use the mud again or dispose of it safely."
"I check the mud analysis which lists the properties of the mud
system. The mud engineer tells me what chemicals need to be added
to the system. The drilling mud must have just the right density to
ensure smooth circulation and efficient drilling. For example, if
mud is too light, we add a weighting agent such as Barite or
Calcium Carbonate which allows us to drill through deeper rock
formations at higher pressures."
"Every four hours, we have to do a mud check, enter data using
specialized software and supply reports for the producing company
indicating properties of the mud, volumes, etc. This information is
used by the engineers in Calgary to determine whether any changes
need to be made to the drilling operations. We do this a minimum of
six times a day, for example on day shifts we do this at 10:00am,
2:00 pm, and 6:00pm."
"I am also responsible for operation and maintenance of the
pumps, which are used to circulate the drilling mud through the
drill pipe and up the wellbore. This involves a walk-through of the
pump shack a few times an hour to make sure everything is operating
smoothly.
In addition to working
on the mud system, I rack the drill pipe in the derrick while
tripping out and throw the pipe into the elevators while tripping
in. This involves wearing fall arrest safety equipment and working
at heights. On a triple derrick, the heights of the monkey boards
can exceed 45 metres off the ground. Ironically, the platform I
stand on is called a diving board. This job isn't overly physical
or difficult, however working over 12 hours in a shift can be
taxing when you are exposed to wind and snow. My rig has a shack
and heater up the derrick, yet many smaller rigs do not.
Throughout the day, I also help train
some of the new crew members. As I gain more experience, I'm able
to pass on what I've learned. Also, I'm always checking and taking
direction from our drill site supervisor, drillers and mud
engineers."
"Twelve hours might seem long, but time flies because there's so
much going on. When the day is done, we head back to the camps for
some R&R and it's back to work the next day."
Nic is definitely not a rookie anymore and is well-versed in the
technical requirements for the job. To date, he's worked on 13 rigs
across western Canada in Saskatchewan, southern Alberta, and Fort
St. John in northern BC. His current rig is located in Tumbler
Ridge, in northwest BC.
"The opportunities to travel
are definitely a bonus. I've been able to see a lot of Canada, and
have friends working in international locations, such as Dubai,
Brazil and Yemen. Because I work two weeks on and one week off, I
get to take mini-vacations that most people can't. I've been able
to travel to Europe, and most recently Hawaii on my time off. You
also travel where your rig travels. My rig is being shipped off to
Russia, and there I'll have the opportunity to train as an
assistant driller. I look forward to living the dream in Russia for
a few years."
Nic agrees there's hard work involved, but believes the payoff
is worth it. His advice to newbies in the industry? "It's hard
labour, mostly working outdoors, away from home in remote
locations. You definitely have to be physically, mechanically and
mathematically inclined to understand the complexity of operating
rig equipment. Teamwork and knowing what everyone else is doing
on-site is also important. You have to be very alert at all times,
otherwise mistakes happen."
"This job is definitely not for everyone, but if you're
self-motivated and like to work hard, then it's worth it. Working
on the rigs afforded me the luxury of being able to graduate from
university with no debt, drive a newer Audi, and max out my RRSPs.
I'm also working on scooping up some dream real estate in Miami,
which is something most people my age probably couldn't do working
in an entry-level, 9-5 office job."