ENTRY LEVEL EMPLOYMENT ON A OFFSHORE DRILL RIG (ROUSTABOUTS)

Roustabouts are general hands working on offshore oil and gas drilling rigs. In Western Australia, most of these are located around the North West Shelf. Roustabouts play a crucial role throughout the drilling process from offloading equipment through to the ongoing maintenance of the drilling rig, but their main duty is to perform general maintenance activities on board the oil rig and the drilling platform.


Having What It Takes



A roustabout's work is physically demanding and involves a wide range of manual tasks. They lay out heavy drill piping, move equipment in and out of stores, and offload supplies onto a rig. They also clean drill pipes, remove waste materials and mop the deck. You can be assured a physical workout in this job without joining a gym or paying an expensive membership fee.

You have to be fit, enthusiastic and prepared to do the demanding manual and physical work.


Salt water and fresh air are the perfect combination for the rapid development of rust, and these conditions go hand in hand with oil rigs. Rust can cause sections of the rig to become brittle, and if left unattended, to erode. A roustabout must remove any rust and repaint the area immediately, to prevent any more developing. They prepare the paint, and clean any used brushes or tools. Roustabouts also assist with the landing and refuelling of helicopters, which drop off supplies and fly workers on and off oil rigs.



Trained To Handle Dangerous Accidents

Emergencies such as fires or oil spills do occur on rigs. It's important therefore, that roustabouts be trained to deal with any such emergency. Roustabouts undergo rigorous training as part of a firefighting team. In the interests of occupational safety and health, it's to a roustabout's advantage to be aware of the possible work hazards they face.



Career Pathway



After some experience filling in for workers on the drill floor, a roustabout may be promoted to a roughneck, who manually operates the drill on the drill floor.

Roughnecks thread the drill pieces together, sometimes more than 400 pieces and unthread them once drilling is complete. A roughneck must ensure that the drill pipe is always ready for drilling. Mistakes can be costly and can set the drilling progress back.



From a roughneck, you can become a derrick hand who raises and lowers the drill pipe. They are harnessed into a 'monkey board' attached to the top of the derrick, usually the highest point on the rig, approximately 60-80 feet above the ground. A fall could be lethal. Derrick hands handle the top section of the drill pipe when it's entering or exiting the drill hole. Stacking is a very dangerous job, not only because of the heights, but because the racks into which drill pipes are stacked, can become unstable, letting the pipes move around.





What's In Store


Be prepared for the working conditions on an offshore rig. The deck floor is usually dirty, wet and noisy, and it's where you'll spend 12 hours a day, hard at work. On the North West Shelf, temperatures get up to the high 30s or 40s, with 60 to 100 percent humidity.

''During the dry season the weather is normally good but it can vary between Arctic and tropical conditions,'' says Tony.

''Twelve hours on, 12 hours off, may seem too much for some, but the two week break is worth it,'' he says.

If you're thinking about becoming a roustabout, you'll also have to consider being away from friends and loved ones. You could be away from them for up to a month at a time. 

Roustabouts work as part of a team. Good communication skills and the ability to work as part of a team will really help you reach your potential in this line of work. Once again, in the interests of occupational safety and health, it's important that roustabouts have a good command of the english language. 
While employment opportunities are determined by the amount of exploration and production work in the oil and gas industry, numbers in this occupation are usually quite low. 

Competition for the small number of positions each year is fierce. Job advertisements are rare, as people tend to approach companies associated with the industry. Many positions are also filled through networking and by word of mouth.

There are some opportunities for onshore drilling of oil and gas, however most drilling opportunities in Western Australia occurs offshore. 

The average salary base for roustabouts in the oil and gas industry is around $55,000 US per annum rising to $70,000 US or higher. 


ROUSTABOUT QUALIFICATIONS

here are no formal educational requirements to become a roustabout, and most training is provided on the job. 

However, completion of an apprenticeship or experience in a number of trade areas, especially in the mechanical trades, will give you an added advantage.

Dogger and forklift tickets may also assist in your prospects for employment in the oil and gas industry. Relevant courses are available from various private training providers. For more information, please check out the NTIS site below. A good start is to know how to use simple lifting appliances such as basic rigging and slinging, and if you have done a basic course ashore this will help a lot in finding a new position offshore.

In addition if you also have a fork lift operator’s ticket or even a better a crane operator’s certificate or course, this will be highly sought after. Some drilling contractors ask that the potential roustabout also have a seaman’s ticket or bridge-duty certificate as outlined by STCW-95 certification requirements. This is somewhat harder to satisfy these days but worth the effort, as is previous sea experience in any capacity. So contact your local Maritime Academy or Marine College and see what they have on offer in the way of basic sea training courses.

Having basic marine or maritime relevant qualifications will put you at the front of any selection process. A reality check for those who have absolutely nothing! You have very little chance to get offshore as a roustabout unless you have some basic and useful skills, so best advice go and invest in your future and get some useful skills to offer.

To outline what employers want to see, either one or more of the list below and the BOSIET and Medical certificate is a prerequisite

1. A basic rigging and slinging ticket or certificate

2. A fork lift operator’s ticket

3. A crane operators certificate

4. A seamans ticket or bridge-duty certificate

5. A BOSIET (Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training) Certificate

6. HUET (Helicopter Underwater Escape Training )Certificate)

7. A Valid Offshore Medical Certificate

Don’t even apply unless you have Item 4, 5 and 6 and are ready to go at short notice as they take a long time to organise.