The Life of a Well Site, from Preparation to Rig Release
The stages every land well site passes through, where people are hurt in each one, and what this awareness course does and does not give you.
8 min
Activities: 0 of 2
A land drilling rig is a factory that is taken apart, moved by truck and built again every few weeks. Each time, the crew works with heavy steel, high pressure, moving machines and a well that can push gas and fluid back to surface. Most injuries on a rig do not come from rare events. They come from normal jobs done many times a day: lifting, pulling, climbing, handling pipe.
This course is awareness training for people who work on or visit land drilling rigs: floorhands (roustabouts and roughnecks), derrickhands, assistant drillers, rig mechanics and electricians, service company crews and supervisors who are new to drilling. It teaches you to recognise the hazards, name the equipment and follow the standard rules. It is not an accredited certificate such as IADC RigPass and it does not lead to one. It does not replace your company induction, the rig-specific orientation or practical training on the equipment.
The stages of a well site
- 1
Stage 1
Site preparation
The access road and the location (the levelled pad) are built. Pits and the cellar are dug. Main risks: earth-moving machines, buried and overhead services, open excavations.
- 2
Stage 2
Rig move and rig-up
The rig arrives in truck loads and is assembled. The mast is raised. Main risks: trucks and cranes, heavy lifts, pinch points, work at height.
- 3
Stage 3
Drilling the well
The crew drills, trips pipe, runs casing and cements it, section by section. Main risks: rig floor machines, falls, dropped objects, high-pressure mud, chemicals, gas and well control events.
- 4
Stage 4
Rig-down and rig release
The well is secured and rig release is recorded: the moment the rig is formally finished with this well, as the drilling contract defines it. The mast is lowered and the rig is taken apart. Main risks: the same as rig-up, with a tired crew at the end of a long job.
Where the detail lives
This course stays on safety at the well site. How drilling works is taught in the course Drilling Operations Fundamentals. Workover and service rigs, wireline, coiled tubing and stimulation are covered in the course Well Servicing and Workover Safety. General site hazards for a person new to the industry are in the course Oil and Gas Hazard Awareness. Rigs at sea are covered in the course Offshore Safety Awareness.
Rules for drilling sites differ between countries, operators and drilling contractors. In the United States, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has no separate standard for drilling. It applies its general industry standards and its general duty clause to drilling, and publishes an oil and gas well drilling and servicing eTool. The American Petroleum Institute (API) publishes API RP 54, a recommended practice for occupational safety and health in oil and gas well drilling and servicing operations. The International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC) publishes safety guidance for rig crews. Your own country, operator and contractor may require more. Always follow the procedure of the rig you are on.
What does "rig release" mean?
Match each stage to its main risks
Pair each stage of the well site with the risks most typical of it.
- Site preparation
- Rig move and rig-up
- Drilling the well
- Rig-down