Oil Motorhand or Motorman Job
As you’ve already probably assumed judging by the job title, an oil rig motorman (or motorhand) main responsibilities center around keeping the engines, responsible for powering the drilling equipment and a large portion of the other equipment, operating smoothly. Engines are for example employed for lifting drilling pipe, turning the rotary table that turns the drill bit and for the purposes of mixing and circulating fluids such as mud.
Some of the equipment on rigs varies, so you can not pinpoint it exactly, but in most cases a rig comes along with a combination of electric and diesel engines. A motorman spends most of his time on the engines but is also responsible for:
- Training roustabouts and roughnecks
- Maintaining and lubricating machinery in
order to keep it running properly - Assisting other oil rig crew members as necessary
- Working with the boilers of the rig
- Assessing tongs that help to connect and respectively disconnect drill pipe and spinning chain
- Ordering tools and replacement parts
- Regularly testing the equipment for any potential safety or operation issues
Motorman Job Requirements
The Motorman job appeals to people who are well into mechanics. You also have to be able to function well in a team and posses great physical stamina as well as have an eye for details.The lower level roughnecks and roustabouts might eventually be promoted to the position of motorman. As the case with all of the other positions on an oil rig, a motorman has to be able to operate fast and efficiently as well as in a safe manner and in accordance with the company and industry guidelines and requirements.
In some cases you might be required to have safety and first aid certifications in order to receive the motorman job. More importantly, though, there is a high chance that your potential employer would require from you to have experience working on an oil rig in order for him to hire you.
Motorman Job salary
A Motorman’s salary is in most cases over USD 20 hourly and tends to increase depending on his experience and training. If he is to be appointed to a remote location he might receive additional allowance for the purposes of covering living expenses.
