About This Career

Assembles or repairs oil field equipment using hand and power tools. Performs other tasks as needed.

This career is part of the Energy cluster Production pathway.

A person in this career:

• Keeps pipe deck and main deck areas clean and tidy.
• Unscrews or tightens pipes, casing, tubing, and pump rods, using hand and power wrenches and tongs.
• Walks flow lines to locate leaks, using electronic detectors and by making visual inspections, and repairs the leaks.
• Moves pipes to and from trucks, using truck winches and motorized lifts, or by hand.
• Bolts together pump and engine parts.
• Guides cranes to move loads about decks.
• Supplies equipment to rig floors as requested and provides assistance to roughnecks.
• Dismantles and repairs oil field machinery, boilers, and steam engine parts, using hand tools and power tools.
• Cleans up spilled oil by bailing it into barrels.
• Digs drainage ditches around wells and storage tanks.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would often handle loads up to 50 lbs., sometimes up to 100 lbs. You will need a lot of strength at this level.
• Work in this occupation involves bending or twisting your body more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves use of protective items such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, a hard hat, or personal flotation devices
• Exposure to pollutants, gases, dust, fumes, odors, poor ventilation, etc.
• Requires getting into awkward positions
• Lighting is either extremely bright or inadequate
• Conditions are very hot (above 90 F) or very cold (under 32 F)
• Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
• Exposed to conditions such as high voltage electricity, combustibles, explosives, and chemicals more than once a month
• Exposed to hazardous equipment such as saws, machinery, or vehicular traffic more than once a month
• Sound and noise levels are loud and distracting
• Work in this occupation requires being outside most of the time
• Work in this occupation involves making repetitive motions more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves standing more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves walking or running more than one-third of the time
• Work at heights above 8 feet more than once a month on structures such as ladders, poles, scaffolding, and catwalks

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Picking out a particular sound in the presence of other sounds
• Judging how far away an object is, or which of several objects is closer or farther away
• Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching
• Seeing clearly at a distance
• Seeing clearly up close
• Identifying and understanding the speech of another person
• Exerting oneself physically over long periods of time without getting out of breath
• Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying objects
• Using abdominal and lower back muscles repeatedly or over time without tiring

Work Hours and Travel

• Irregular hours
• Overnight travel
• Rotating shift work
• Weekend work