What Do Earth Drillers Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

Job Description

Earth Drillers operate a variety of drills such as rotary, churn, and pneumatic to tap sub-surface water and salt deposits, to remove core samples during mineral exploration or soil testing, and to facilitate the use of explosives in mining or construction. May use explosives. Includes horizontal and earth boring machine operators. They also fabricate well casings.

Other tasks include:

• Operate controls to stabilize machines and to position and align drills.
• Start, stop, and control drilling speed of machines and insertion of casings into holes.
• Pour water into wells, or pump water or slush into wells to cool drill bits and to remove drillings.
• Regulate air pressure, rotary speed, and downward pressure, according to the type of rock or concrete being drilled.
• Select and attach drill bits and drill rods, adding more rods as hole depths increase, and changing drill bits as needed.
• Drive or guide truck-mounted equipment into position, level and stabilize rigs, and extend telescoping derricks.

We asked Earth Drillers how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

63% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 56% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.

Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, Earth Drillers monitor drilling operations, checking gauges and listening to equipment to assess drilling conditions and to determine the need to adjust drilling or alter equipment. They record drilling progress and geological data.

A typical day for an Earth Driller will also include:

• Drive trucks, tractors, or truck-mounted drills to and from work sites.
• Operate machines to flush earth cuttings or to blow dust from holes.
• Select the appropriate drill for the job, using knowledge of rock or soil conditions.
• Start, stop, and control drilling speed of machines and insertion of casings into holes.
• Drive or guide truck-mounted equipment into position, level and stabilize rigs, and extend telescoping derricks.

We asked some Earth Drillers a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Earth Drillers also design well pumping systems. They may also retract augers to force discharge dirt from holes.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Earth Drillers Perform pumping tests to assess well performance. They might also Review client requirements and proposed locations for drilling operations to determine feasibility, and to determine cost estimates.

In addition, they Place and install screens, casings, pumps, and other well fixtures to develop wells.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Disinfect, reconstruct, and redevelop contaminated wells and water pumping systems, and clean and disinfect new wells in preparation for use.

To some Earth Drillers, it is also their responsibility to Fabricate well casings.

Working life

More than 40 hours per week

Irregular work schedule that changes depending on weather conditions, customer demand or contract duration.

In a typical work week as an Earth Driller, you can expect to work more than 40 hours per week.

Is this right for me

People who are suitable for this job tends to like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery..

They also like working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

You can read more about these career personality types here.

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