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building – about 200 feet (60 metres) tall. Most, however, are closer to 140 feet (45 metres) high.
Even so, in flat country, a structure as lofty as a 16-story building is conspicuous.
Upon arriving at the rig, the first step is to check in with the boss. He or she is probably in a
mobile home or a portable building on the site that serves as an office and living quarters. The rig
boss may have the intriguing title of “toolpusher"; or, rig workers may call him or her the “rig
superintendent," or the “rig manager." (Currently, most toolpushers, or rig superintendents, are men;
but that's changing). Toolpusher is the traditional term for the rig boss. It probably originated from
the fondness rig workers have of calling practically every inanimate thing on a rig a tool. Thus, one
who bossed the personnel using the tools also pushed the tools, in a symbolic, if not actual, sense.
Nowadays, the drilling industry leans towards the term rig superintendent or rig manager for the
person in charge, but you'll still hear rig hands call him or her the toolpusher (or, in Canada, the
“toolpush").
Now don your haul hat, which is a very tough plastic cap with a brim to protect your head.
Also, put on your steel-capped boots, which keep your toes from being crushed, and your safety
glasses to safeguard your eyes. This style of dress is de rigueur for everyone. Whether working on a
rig or merely visiting it, everyone must wear personal protective equipment, or PPE for short. Rig
workers also wear gloves to protect their hands and you may want to wear a pair, too.
With protective gear on and the rig superintendent's permission, let's go up to the rig floor.
The floor is the main work area of the rig and it usually rests on a strong foundation, a substructure,
which raises it above ground level. Accordingly, we have to walk up a set of steel stairs. Keep a
hand on the handrail as you walk up and don't hurry. It could be a 40-foot (12 -metre) climb. Once
on the floor, stop for a minute to catch your breath and take a good look around the floor. You may
see the crew handling several lengths, or joints, of drill pipe, the steel tubes that put the bit (the
hole-boring device) on the bottom of the hole. On the other hand, the rig may be drilling, or
"making hole," as they sometimes say. If it's drilling, from time to time you may hear the distinctive
and loud squawk or squeal of the drawworks brake as it slacks off the drilling line to allow the bit to
drill ahead. The drawworks is a large, powerful hoist that, among other things, regulates the weight
the drill string puts on the bit. A loud screech comes every time the friction brake bands ease their
grip on the steel hubs of the drawworks drum to apply weight. It's loud, but it's music to the ears of
the rig owner because it usually means the bit is drilling ahead without problems.
Regardless of what's occurring on the rig floor, take time to observe, for you're standing in a
place that is vital to the oil and gas industry. Certainly, many operations besides drilling are
involved in getting crude oil and natural gas out of the ground and into forms we can use, such as
gasoline and heating fuel. However, without a drilled well – a hole in the ground – oil companies
could not obtain oil and gas, or petroleum, at all.
At this point, you may not know what the equipment is for or what the personnel are doing,
but don't be troubled. This book will identify most of the people and tools it takes to drill, and will
give you a better appreciation of oilwell drilling. Before launching into equipment and processes,
however, let's cover a little drilling history.

4 Find synonyms in the text for the following words.

to be reasonable or comprehensible eye-catching
aim to protect
to find traditional not alive
coastal to favor
area

5 Find antonyms in the text for the following words.

simple employee
quiet to wait
sky behind

7