Construction and Extraction · Holland code RCI
Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas
Rig derrick equipment and operate pumps to circulate mud or fluid through drill hole.
Also called: Derrick Hand, Derrick Man, Derrickhand, Derrickman, Derrick Operator, Derrick Worker, Floor Hand, Rig Hand.
O*NET 47-5011.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $58,620
- Middle half earn $49,880 to $71,610. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Most common education
- Less than a High School Diploma
- 69% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 2 of 5
- Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Start pumps that circulate mud through drill pipes and boreholes to cool drill bits and flush out drill cuttings.
- Control the viscosity and weight of the drilling fluid.
- Listen to mud pumps and check regularly for vibration and other problems to ensure that rig pumps and drilling mud systems are working properly.
- Inspect derricks, or order their inspection, prior to being raised or lowered.
- Prepare mud reports, and instruct crews about the handling of any chemical additives.
- Position and align derrick elements, using harnesses and platform climbing devices.
- Inspect derricks for flaws, and clean and oil derricks to maintain proper working conditions.
- Supervise crew members, and provide assistance in training them.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Critical Thinking3.5 / 5
- Speaking3.4 / 5
- Monitoring3.4 / 5
- Active Listening3.3 / 5
- Reading Comprehension2.9 / 5
- Writing2.8 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Mechanical3.6 / 5
- Mathematics3.3 / 5
- English Language3.2 / 5
- Education and Training3.0 / 5
- Public Safety and Security2.8 / 5
- Transportation2.8 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic100
- Investigative26
- Artistic0
- Social0
- Enterprising11
- Conventional44
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- drilling engineer · DE Bohringenieur/Bohringenieurin · FR ingénieur de forage/ingénieure de forage
- drilling machine operator · DE CNC-Bohrer/CNC-Bohrerin · FR opérateur sur perceuse/opératrice sur perceuse
- driller · DE Bohranlagenbediener/Bohranlagenbedienerin · FR foreur de roche/foreuse de roche
- derrickhand · DE Bühnenmann/Bühnenfrau · FR accrocheur/accrocheuse
- drill operator · DE Bohrmeister/Bohrmeisterin · FR foreur chef de poste/foreuse chef de poste
- oil rig motorhand · DE Maschinenführer auf Ölbohrinseln/Maschinenführerin auf Ölbohrinseln · FR motoriste en installation de forage
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Metal machining setters and setter-operators (5221)40,400 employed
- Metal working machine operatives (8120)28,100 employed
- Mining and quarry workers and related operatives (8132)9,200 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Plant and machine operators and assemblers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €39,630 |
| Netherlands | €37,567 |
| Austria | €37,304 |
| Sweden | €36,005 |
| Germany | €34,433 |
| Ireland | €32,617 |
| France | €28,550 |
| Italy | €28,330 |
| Spain | €24,409 |
| Portugal | €11,309 |
| Poland | €10,259 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -1.42. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (47-5011).
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