Drilling is usually done by a service company or drilling contractor. The drilling crewis composed of a toolpusher, a driller, a derrickman, a motorman and severalroughnecks and roustabouts.
The toolpusher, the location supervisor for the drilling contractor, is usually a senior, experienced individual who has worked his way up through the ranks of the drilling crew positions. His job is largely administrative, including ensuring that the rig has sufficient materials, spare parts and skilled personnel to continue efficient operations.
The driller is the supervisor of the rig crew. The driller is responsible for the efficient operation of the rigsite as well as the safety of the crew. He typically has many years of rigsite experience and has worked his way up from other jobs. While the driller must know how to perform each of the jobs on the rig, his or her role is to supervise the work and control the major rig systems. The driller operates the pumps, drawworks, and rotary table via the drillers console-a control room of gauges, control levers, rheostats, and other pneumatic, hydraulic and electronic instrumentation. The driller also operates the drawworks brake using a long-handled lever. Hence, the driller is sometimes referred to as the person who is "on the brake.“
The derrickman is in charge of the mud-processing area during periods of circulation. The derrickman also measures mud density. The derrickman reports to the toolpusher, but is instructed in detail by the mud engineer on what to add to the mud, how fast and how much. His other job is to handle pipe in the derrick while pulling out or running into the hole. One of the rig crew members who gets his name from the fact that he works on a platform attached to the derrick or mast, typically 85 ft [26 m] above the rig floor, during trips. In a typical trip out of the hole, the derrickman wears a special safety harness that enables him to lean out from the work platform (called the monkeyboard) to reach the drillpipe in the center of the derrick or mast, throw a line around the pipe and pull it back into its storage location (the fingerboards) until it is time to run the pipe back into the well. In terms of skill, physical exertion and perceived danger, a derrickman has one of the most demanding jobs on the rig crew. Some modern drilling rigs have automated pipe-handling equipment such that the derrickman controls the machinery rather than physically handling the pipe. In an emergency, the derrickman can quickly reach the ground by an escape line often called the Geronimo line.
The motorman is responsible for maintenance of the engines. While all members of the rig crew help with major repairs, the motorman does routine preventive maintenance and minor repairs.
A roughneck is a low-ranking member of the drilling crew. The roughneck usually performs semiskilled and unskilled manual labor that requires continual hard work in difficult conditions for many hours. After roughnecks understand how the rig operates and demonstrates their work ethic, they may be promoted to other positions in the crew.
A roustabout is any unskilled manual laborer on the rigsite. A roustabout may be part of the drilling contractor's employee workforce, or may be on location temporarily for special operations. Roustabouts are commonly hired to do the peripheral tasks, ranging from cleaning up location to cleaning threads to digging trenches to scraping and painting rig components.
The operator is the company that serves as the overall manager and decision-maker of a drilling project. Generally, but not always, the operator will have the largest financial stake in the project. As far as the drilling contractor and service companies are concerned, the designated operator is paying for the entire operation, and the operator is responsible for recouping some of that expense from the partners.
