No Cell Phones Allowed? How Offshore Workers Communicate with Loved Ones (2024)

FAQs

Can oil rig workers have cell phones? ›

An offshore worker cannot use a cell phone aboard an oil rig or platform in these situations: Outside of the living quarters. Due to the risk of flammable gas coming up the oil well, the use of cell phones is strictly prohibited anywhere outside of the living quarters.

Leisure facilities differ, but modern rigs often have games rooms, gyms and cinemas. Before internet, workers could only call home once a week for 6 minutes! These days most rigs have wifi for Skype, social media and emails on tablets and laptops, although mobile phones are often banned and phone signal is rare.

Even cellular services can be accessible at some locations offshore. Specifically, the US Gulf of Mexico has cellular towers installed offshore that allow cellular communications from rigs and platforms near the coast to onshore locations, allowing offshore workers to communicate through their own private cell phones.

Can the employees receive mail or phone calls? Mail is not a problem, because it works as on land. But the use of the phone may be problematic, because must use a satellite connection.

Cell phones quickly lose reception as vessels travel beyond the range of land-based cellular arrays, which is typically around 10 to 15 miles. Satellite internet connectivity has long been the only option for boats, oil rigs, and other offshore locations, but it is slow and extremely expensive.

Services for crew and passengers on vessels using On Waves include the ability to make calls to and from any fixed or mobile phone in the world as well as send or receive text messages anywhere at any time.

How long do workers stay on an oil rig? Workers on an offshore oil rig may remain on the platform for six months to one year, depending on the company they're working for, the project type and the duration of their contract.

Oil rigs are close-knit communities, and you can expect to share your room with several other engineers, although some offer private rooms. Showers and toilets tend to be shared among a couple of cabins, but most bedrooms offer a washbasin and a television.

Rig work is not a 9-to-5, weekday-only job; weekend work is commonplace, as is overtime. Onshore rigs may be run in several eight-hour, or two 12-hour shifts per day, with one or two roughnecks or roustabouts per shift, typically. Meals, work camp lodging or a housing allowance and benefits are often provided.

Can you drink alcohol on an oil rig? ›

Working on an oil rig has very strict rules to abide by, so don't expect a beer with your dinner as alcohol is strictly forbidden. Any type of drug use is highly intolerable – you will be drug tested before and may be randomly tested during your assignment.

The permit must be signed by the rig's on-board management and posted in a central location. The permit then expires when the approver's shift ends. Even once the permit is approved, you still need to carry a gas detection device when taking pictures, to provide a warning if flammable gas is present.

Roughneck is a term for a person whose occupation is hard manual labor. The term applies across a number of industries, but is most commonly associated with the workers on a drilling rig.

Many parts of the rig are terrifying to people who have issues with heights. It's the outboard walkways that bug me – falling overboard at night means near-certain death. They'll never even find a body.

In most cases, employees in the Drilling and Services & Manufacturing Subsectors will need to save more than the amounts encouraged by the plan design in order to retire at age 65 with the same standard of living. The rise of the 401(k) plan has shifted responsibility for retirement adequacy into employees' hands.

According to The Bureau of Labor Statistics , the highest paying states for oil drillers are Alaska, California, Colorado, Wyoming and Texas. Here are the average salaries for rotary drill operators in the oil and gas industry in these states: Alaska: $79,830 per year.

Oil Workers International (OWIU)

The union was first originally established as the International Association of Oil Field, Gas Well, and Refinery Workers of America in 1918 after a major workers' strike in the Texas oil fields in late 1917, which led to numerous mortalities.

It's possible to send and receive text messages at sea on a cellular signal, as long as you have a signal through your ship's roaming network. (Just make sure you turn on data roaming in your settings.) Texting costs a lot less than a voice call -- usually in line with standard, international "pay as you go" rates.

Here's the difference between Inshore and Offshore fishing:

Inshore is always insight of land ranging from 60'-90' depth and up to 9 miles from land. Offshore is mostly out of sight of land ranging from 100'-300' depth and 9+ miles from land.

How do cell phones work at sea? ›

At sea, you can either make calls via a satellite connection or pay for the ship's Wi-Fi (also via satellite) and make Wi-Fi calls, text or video chat via the internet. Bandwidth and connection speed can be an issue at sea. You may experience lag time on calls or slow connection speeds.

For off-shore floating oil rigs, professionals usually live on the oil rig for the duration of their shifts. If the oil rig is close to shore, they may travel by boat to return to land. If the oil rig is far from shore, they may travel by helicopter.

While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $392,000 and as low as $29,000, the majority of Crude Oil Owner Operator salaries currently range between $147,000 (25th percentile) to $366,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $386,000 annually across the United States.

Always wear your fall protection equipment when working from any height. Test it before use to make sure it's working properly. Keep an eye out for falling or flying objects. Never stand under a suspended load and always wear a hard hat and other protective gear.

While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $40,000 and as low as $21,000, the majority of salaries within the Offshore Oil Rig jobs category currently range between $26,500 (25th percentile) to $36,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $39,500 annually across the United States.

Offshore installations have a dedicated team of kitchen staff who prepare food around the clock, often with a self-service style canteen. Despite the offshore location, fresh food is shipped in regularly, meaning you'll have plenty of access to fresh meat, fruit and vegetables.

Stewards have the lowest paying job on the oil rig.

Because the work on an offshore rig is never ending, the majority of workers are required to work 12-hours shifts, seven days a week, for seven to 28 days at a time. Additional overtime is required on an emergency or project basis. It is not uncommon to work upwards of 80 hours per week.

In the United States, offshore oil and gas companies have three main options for waste disposal – discharge to the sea, underground injection or encapsulation, and onshore disposal. A fourth option, incineration, has rarely been used. The U.S. government does not dictate a specific disposal option that must be used.

All drilling rigs operate continuously. In offshore operations, workers often work 7 to 14 days in a row, 12 hours a day, and then have 7 to 14 days off.

How many hours a day do you work on an oil rig? ›

Drilling rigs commonly operate 24 hours per day, 7 days per week with either three crews working 8 hour shifts or two crews working 12-hour shifts. Most often day crews and night crews will alternate weekly, so each crew has a chance to work during both the day and night.

Some oil rig crew members work a standard 40-hour workweek, while others may work longer hours, including weekends and holidays. In general, crew members on oil rigs may work long hours and irregular schedules, as the drilling operation requires constant coverage.

The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) assumes that oil field workers are entitled to payment of overtime for all hours worked in excess of 40 in a work week at a rate not less than one and one-half times each employee's “regular rate”.

Coveralls and safety toe boots are both considered PPE, but you will also want to bring other accessories with you as well. Some other PPE accessories you will want to wear when working on an oil rig include a hard hat, hearing protection like earmuffs, fire-resistant gloves, and protective neckwear.

While surfaces can be kept slip-proof as long as conditions are dry, rain can undo a lot of normal prevention measures, making any traversing of the oil rig dangerous. The rain can also obscure a worker's vision, adding to the difficulty and risk of simple procedures.

Perforating guns are used in many industries but are commonly found in the oil and gas well industries. There are different types of perforating guns, depending on how they will be used. A perforating gun is used to create openings in casings used in oil and gas well drilling.

Average Daily Earnings

Oil rig welders can make $290 per day. But, it depends on the number of hours worked. Some oil rig welders work six months a year, some only three months. But, most oil rig welders work eight hours a day.

Oil Rig Roughnecks in America make an average salary of $40,338 per year or $19 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $60,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $26,000 per year.

Since the demand for oil and gas shows no sign of slowing down, oil field jobs are a great choice for felons who are willing to work hard each day. The pay and job outlook depend on the exact position you try obtaining.

Can I work on oil rig for a summer? ›

Some oilfield companies hire seasonal drivers, pipeline technicians, and entry-level roustabouts to work on the land during the summer season. Seasonal positions are also available on offshore rig platforms. Oil companies sometimes increase output or enhance operations during warmer weather.

1. n. [Drilling] A new, completely inexperienced member of the drilling crew. Such a crewmember is stereotyped as prone to making mistakes and being injured, and typically endures pranks played on him by the drilling crew.

The toolpusher is the senior manager at the rig and is responsible for personnel, parts, and performance. The driller reports directly to the toolpusher and is responsible for the active drilling phase, trips, and the safety of the floor hands.

A roughneck is a slang term for somebody who works on an oil rig or in an oil field doing manual labour. The labour can range from unskilled to highly skilled, depending on the position and the experience and ability of the individual.

If a rig site is near a town, companies typically put their workers up in hotels. When the rig is in a remote location, companies provide a camp. Workers travel to the oil rig from the camp site in a crew truck. Generally, workers work for fourteen days straight with one to three weeks off.

Part of the reason that offshore oil rig worker pay is high is to offset the difficult working conditions and risks associated with the job. Workers often face 14/21 shifts, meaning that they work for 14 days straight, followed by 21 days off.

How long do workers stay on an oil rig? Workers on an offshore oil rig may remain on the platform for six months to one year, depending on the company they're working for, the project type and the duration of their contract.

Nevertheless, if you work on an oil rig or jack-up rig, then you're working one of the most dangerous jobs out there (according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics). The number of oil rig deaths per year often exceeds 100 people, with even more individuals suffering from injuries.

The usual working shift is 12 hours 'on' and 12 hours 'off', and many shift patterns are a mixture of both day and night because operations run around the clock with no rig 'downtime'. Many offshore jobs require shift patterns of 2 or 3 weeks on the rig / 2-3 weeks onshore, but the patterns can be longer.

Most deepwater rigs can hold around 180-200 people at a time. Most of the people on board are employed by the rig contractor.

What do you call someone who works on an oil rig? ›

An oil rig roughneck, as the name suggests, is a person who is employed in oil rigs to do manual and physical labour. Another name that is used for a roughneck is roustabout. It also needs to be noted that the term roughneck is also assigned to people of other professions who work very hard physically.

Some oil rig crew members work a standard 40-hour workweek, while others may work longer hours, including weekends and holidays. In general, crew members on oil rigs may work long hours and irregular schedules, as the drilling operation requires constant coverage.