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work offshore or in isolated regions for long periods. The drilling
contractor or operating company often hires an oilfield caterer to
furnish these services.

PEOPLE
While it is true that you can’t drill a well without a drilling rig
several companies to back up the rig, it is equally true that you can’t
drill a well without skilled people. Personnel run the rig and keep it
running until the well reaches its objective. Many people are involved
in drilling. Let’s cover the drilling crew first – the group whose job it
is to make the rig drill.
Drilling Crews
The contractor requires trained and skilled personnel to operate
and maintain a drilling rig. Keep in mind that a rig, when on site and
drilling, operates virtually all the time, night and day, 365 days a year.
Personnel directly responsible for making the rig drill are collectively
known as the “drilling crew”.
The person in charge of the drilling crew, the top hand, may be
called the “rig manager”, “rig superintendent”, or “toolpusher”,
depending on the drilling contractor’s preference. Besides the rig
manager, or superintendent, each rig has drillers, derrickmen, and
rotary helpers (also called “floorhands”, or “roughnecks”). What’s
more, large land rigs and offshore rigs often have assistant rig
supervisors, assistant drillers, as well as additional personnel who
perform special functions particular to the rig.

Rig Superintendent and Assistant Rig Superintendent
The rig superintendent (rig manager or toolpusher) oversees
the drilling crews that work on the rig floor, supervises drilling
operations, and coordinates operating company and contractor affairs.
On land rigs, the rig superintendent is usually headquartered in a
mobile home or portable building at the rig site and is on call at all
times. Offshore, the rig superintendent has an office and sleeping

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