Texas has an ancient legacy when it comes to oil, or “black gold”. It has long been one of the wealthiest oil states in America, and there are statistics to back this up – and it’s not slowing down either. In fact, many think that Texas still has a long way to go . Want to know more? Here are some vital statistics to back up the claim that Texas is still in a “boom” in terms of drilling for black gold:
1. During the last year, the average number of approved drilling permits for Texas was nearly 1,600 permits per month. Per annum, it translates to approximately 19,200 potentially profitable oil wells, or oil rigs, in the state of Texas. So you can guess what this means – lots of available jobs for people seeking to begin a career in the oil field.
2. Production of oil in Texas is up by nearly four million barrels (as of 2011). This is a huge increase, and will certainly guarantee that the national stockpile of crude oil will continue to be sustainable for a number of years, even if peak oil does hit offshore deposits. Update: As of March 2012, 943 oil permits had been completed and 3,797 wells completed as of Spring 2012 – that is up from 2,148 wells completed during the same period in 2011.
3. Natural gas production is up, year over year – in 2012, over 7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas was extracted and 417 million barrels of oil. Things are definitely not slowing down in Texas – Midland, San Antonio, and San Angelo were awarded the most oil and gas drilling permits – 750, 360, and 221, respectively with the Deep South and East Texas receiving fewer permits. Look for an influx of new positions.
Most oil rigs will have 2-3 crews made up of several workers doing different kinds of job tasks. You can read about some of the job positions below.
If you are ready to look at oil rig jobs within the state of Texas, here are some of the positions that generally need filling:
1. Floorhand – A floorhand is a person who is tasked with a variety of physically-demanding jobs on the oil rig. A floorhand is directly under a driller. Therefore, when the driller is not there, the assistant driller steps in and has full authority to command the floorhand as well. A floorhand may be asked to help maintain equipment in the upper rig and lower rig. A floorhand may also be tasked with general maintenance and repair of drilling equipment, alongside more specialized employees who are tasked with monitoring the performance of on-site equipment.
Additionally, a floorhand can be paired with a deckman. A deckman is one who is charged with mixing mud and other connected functions.
2. Motorman – Motormen are assigned in the main drilling areas. A motorman may manipulate sections of pipe, mix cement and chemicals, read gauges and assemble equipment. He also may:
- do monitoring of drills
- do maintenance of drills
- drive truck
- attach hoses & pumps to the wellhead
- mix chemicals
- take samples & record mud flows
- Supervise laborers & floorhands
They may change oil and filters, operate machinery (& handle equipment reports). Monitoring of drills is a big part of the operation, and the motorman will be involved with the operating and maintainance of the drills that extract oil from the earth. The motorman falls under the charge of the driller.
3. Rig manager – a rig manager is charged with making sure that all operations and activities of the workers run smoothly. He must keep things running along like clockwork, and ensure operations are executed efficiently each day. The rig manager has a LOT of responsibility – new employees will depend on him for their training.
Rig Manager is in charge of a specific oil rig – and must efficiently manage assets, budgets, as well as new employees reporting to the rig. He must of course have his well control certificate, and have completed the necessary first aid or telemedicine training.
A rig manager, finally, is expected to do whatever he can to optimize extraction of crude oil.
Overall, Texas oil rig jobs availability is huge and is expanding. If you would like to gain more specifics as to oil rig jobs salaries, visit the link below.
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Additional Reading: Off Shore Oil Rig Jobs Oil Rig Jobs salaries
