Drilling Jobs On Alberta Oil Rigs

Like the US, there is a lot of oil and gas drilling in Canada. Unlike the US, there are some unique environmental constraints that affect drilling jobs in Canada. For one thing, if you work as an oil worker in Canada, you will be cold most of the time. Most of the oil drilling occurs in the cold North (Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia) in winter.

Most of the Canadian oil rigs are located on land. Technically anyway. The reason most oil drilling only happens in winter is that most of the oil fields are somewhat marshy. Oil drilling contractors can only drill effectively in winter, when the ground is frozen solid. Unfortunately, that means you will work in the cold and snow most of the time. Because the sun only comes up for a short while each day, most of your work will also be done in rather dim light.

Worse yet, Canadian oil workers usually work on an hourly or daily rate, which means many oil workers have to look for other work in fallow months. That does not mean Alberta oil rigs (or Saskatchewan oil rigs) do not work at other times of the year. There are still oil rigs located on dry ground, and working on these oil fields can get very hot in summer.

Drilling rigs in Canada are usually in rather out-of-the-way spots. Some oil fields have become sufficiently established that small towns have grown up nearby, but there are many oil fields where the workers have to stay in company-provided camps. These camps include sleeping quarters, kitchen and dining room and a laundry (but not necessarily any form of recreation).

While some oil rigs remain fixed in position, others move around a fair bit. Oil rig crews follow their rigs around, which can sometimes mean extended periods of time far away from home. Transport between home and rig is usually not provided, although transport between rig and camp is. Like in the US, Canadian oil rig workers work 12-hour shifts, some of it at night. Unlike the US, Canadian tours are two weeks on and one week off. Considering that workers are paid hourly or daily and that most of the drilling only happens in winter, this is not a bad thing.

Unlike offshore oil rigs which can have hundreds of workers, drilling crews on Alberta oil rigs consist of twenty people at most – three to four crews of four or five people. There is the driller, derrick hand, motor hand, floorhand and leasehand. In the US, the floorhand would be called a roughneck and the leasehand a roustabout. Like the US oil industry, promotions can occur rapidly. The climb from leasehand to rig manager (toolpusher) can happen in just eight years.

Like most of the rest of the world, oil companies do not usually own or drill individual oil wells. Instead, they hire drilling contractors who own and operate the drilling rigs which do the actual work. Those looking for oil rig jobs on Alberta oil rigs (and Canadian oil rigs in general) would do well to remember this.

Floorhand/Leasehand

Leasehands (roustabouts) are the lowest ranked members on the drilling crew. They perform most of the general labor on the site, all the way from loading and unloading trucks to digging ditches and scrubbing and cleaning equipment. Floorhands (roughnecks) work on the rig floor.

Unlike the US where a roustabout can learn everything on the job, Alberta and other Canadian states require even workers in entry level rig jobs to take special training course before starting work. This is in addition to the First Aid and H2S Alive (hydrogen sulphide training) certifications. Some employers have additional requirements, e.g. certifications in Fall Arrest and/or Waste Hazardous Material Information System.

In Canada, there are actually recommended wages set for workers in the oil industry. For leasehands, the hourly wage is $23. For floorhands the hourly wage is $25.25. When working away from home, there is even a recommended living allowance – $50 a day when a camp is provided and $140 a day when a camp is not provided.

Rig Technician – Derrickhand/Driller/Motorhand

In Alberta, the motor hand, derrick hand and driller are classified as rig technicians. These rig technicians have to be licensed by the Alberta government. Before licensing, they have to work as apprentices at least three years (1,500 hours of on-the-job training and 120 hours of technical training each year). Recommended wage rates are $27.50 per hour for the motor hand, $32.25 per hour for the derrick hand and $38.50 per hour for the driller.

Employment on oil rigs in Canada is just as hot as in the USA. However, the physical and regulatory environment is a bit different.

NB: Wages are quoted in Canadian currency and meant to be a rough guide. Actual wages depend on the employer.

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