Newbie
Posts: 17 
Location: Winnipeg
Location: Winnipeg
July 27th, 2006, 09:21 PM
Greetings from Manitoba...
My friend and I are planning to move 2 provinces west and to find jobs on the oil rigs, which some of our male friends are doing. We are both young females looking for basic labouring jobs (we are willing hard workers!). Are there any women posters who have experience with this and know what the environment is like? Any advice is appreciated, thanks!
Greetings from Manitoba...
My friend and I are planning to move 2 provinces west and to find jobs on the oil rigs, which some of our male friends are doing. We are both young females looking for basic labouring jobs (we are willing hard workers!). Are there any women posters who have experience with this and know what the environment is like? Any advice is appreciated, thanks!
Knows No Bounds
Posts: 3,401 
Videos: 2
Location: 50° 30' N, 104° 38' W
Videos: 2
Location: 50° 30' N, 104° 38' W
July 27th, 2006, 10:05 PM
Quoting
Hard, dangerous, dirty, and sexist, the last time I was there. That was a fairly long time ago--the 1970s--but I doubt it's changed much.
... know what the environment is like?
Chief Mogrifier
Posts: 8,810
August 3rd, 2006, 09:52 PM
My experience is from quite a few years ago but I watched an oil rig last summer in Alberta and it didn't look like the job had changed much. I worked on the rigs for two summers while I was going to university.
What is hard, is fitting into a crew that are used to working with each other. Things go very fast and a false move can be damned dangerous. A good tool push(the foreman) can make a few allowances for a new crew member but you will find that any crew that has been at it for a few years will have several missing fingers among them and very fast reactions. Would I recommend the job for a young lady? Definitely not. I wouldn't recommend the job for me if I were 19 again. I escaped with all my fingers more by good luck than good management.
My experience is from quite a few years ago but I watched an oil rig last summer in Alberta and it didn't look like the job had changed much. I worked on the rigs for two summers while I was going to university.
What is hard, is fitting into a crew that are used to working with each other. Things go very fast and a false move can be damned dangerous. A good tool push(the foreman) can make a few allowances for a new crew member but you will find that any crew that has been at it for a few years will have several missing fingers among them and very fast reactions. Would I recommend the job for a young lady? Definitely not. I wouldn't recommend the job for me if I were 19 again. I escaped with all my fingers more by good luck than good management.
Newbie
Posts: 1
January 22nd, 2008, 11:58 AM
I know this is late. But I am doing a personal narrative paper for a class I am in and I choose to write about my oilrig experience in Wyoming over 30 yrs ago. I have to research the subject, so I did a search for woman on oilrigs. I was surprised to find that not much has changed. I am finding post from women who want to work on oilrigs, but not much about women who actually have.
To answer your question about how it is -- I would say I had a great experience. The previous poster said something about losing fingers; I would say that is true. I wouldn't do it again because I can look back now and see just how dangerous it was. My skills were just fine and I worked right alongside every else and didn't miss a beat. If anything, I did a better job because I had to always prove myself. The oilrig wasn't as hard as men like to make it sound -- I handled the labor just fine. Most of the time we sat in the doghouse waiting for the bit to get through tough ground or rock even; the men usually read porn, while I read a book. Sometimes we played poker (not stripe poker).
I was the one to go out, get the pipe, hook it up to the elevator, and haul it over to add to the pipe in the ground. I never went up to work the derrick that took a skill I didn't want to try.
I almost lost my fingers, but due to there not being proper fitting cloves (or boots) for women at the time -- when my fingers got caught between the pipe, I was able to pull my hand out leaving the fingers of the clove pinched between the pipes.
It can be a boring job, but it sure pays well. We worked in the cold -- often below zero with the wind-chill factor and sometimes we were stuck out in the middle of nowhere because the next crew couldn't get there due to a snowstorm.
I feel that women have good endurance and that is what is takes most of, not strength. Most things are handled by the equipment -- like the elevators, tongs, and chain. (At least when I worked there).
The worst part is working with the guys. Some will want to protect you and watch over you. Others want you to quit and will make it hard. I had a guy that quit because I took over his job. I became the chain hand and he was demoted to worm, he always let the tail loose to fly around and almost hit us. He didn't always throw it right either and miss getting it tight on the upper pipe. I tried and did it perfectly, just the right flick of the wrist. It didn't take strength to do that, just finesse.
Then there is always that guy who thinks you are his personal little girl toy. I had the derrick hand always after me. He followed me down to the lower doghouse when I was to repaint it and he tried very hard to get into my pants, against my will. I got away and tried to stay away from him. He still said nasty things to me. I never told the driller because I didn't want to be a problem on the rig as a girl. Later, after I quit, I told him and he was mad. But the guy was his friend and the only one who would work the derrick because our rig was considered a jinx.
Overall -- I don't know why you would want to work on an oil rig. I read one post where a woman finally admitted that the only reason she wanted to work on the rig was to meet a hunky macho man. Believe me; those men are not someone you necessary want to be around. And if a oil rig guy got together with a woman on the rig, it probably wouldn't last. A man really wants a woman who is feminine, not as strong or macho as them.
Not saying that is what you want. I can understand wanting to work on the rig. You get a lot of money and satisfaction is doing some good hard work. I loved working manual labor and being away from working with other women because women can be so catty and bitchy. Men, at least, tell you how it is.
Let me know if you ever found work on an oilrig.
Val
I know this is late. But I am doing a personal narrative paper for a class I am in and I choose to write about my oilrig experience in Wyoming over 30 yrs ago. I have to research the subject, so I did a search for woman on oilrigs. I was surprised to find that not much has changed. I am finding post from women who want to work on oilrigs, but not much about women who actually have.
To answer your question about how it is -- I would say I had a great experience. The previous poster said something about losing fingers; I would say that is true. I wouldn't do it again because I can look back now and see just how dangerous it was. My skills were just fine and I worked right alongside every else and didn't miss a beat. If anything, I did a better job because I had to always prove myself. The oilrig wasn't as hard as men like to make it sound -- I handled the labor just fine. Most of the time we sat in the doghouse waiting for the bit to get through tough ground or rock even; the men usually read porn, while I read a book. Sometimes we played poker (not stripe poker).
I was the one to go out, get the pipe, hook it up to the elevator, and haul it over to add to the pipe in the ground. I never went up to work the derrick that took a skill I didn't want to try.
I almost lost my fingers, but due to there not being proper fitting cloves (or boots) for women at the time -- when my fingers got caught between the pipe, I was able to pull my hand out leaving the fingers of the clove pinched between the pipes.
It can be a boring job, but it sure pays well. We worked in the cold -- often below zero with the wind-chill factor and sometimes we were stuck out in the middle of nowhere because the next crew couldn't get there due to a snowstorm.
I feel that women have good endurance and that is what is takes most of, not strength. Most things are handled by the equipment -- like the elevators, tongs, and chain. (At least when I worked there).
The worst part is working with the guys. Some will want to protect you and watch over you. Others want you to quit and will make it hard. I had a guy that quit because I took over his job. I became the chain hand and he was demoted to worm, he always let the tail loose to fly around and almost hit us. He didn't always throw it right either and miss getting it tight on the upper pipe. I tried and did it perfectly, just the right flick of the wrist. It didn't take strength to do that, just finesse.
Then there is always that guy who thinks you are his personal little girl toy. I had the derrick hand always after me. He followed me down to the lower doghouse when I was to repaint it and he tried very hard to get into my pants, against my will. I got away and tried to stay away from him. He still said nasty things to me. I never told the driller because I didn't want to be a problem on the rig as a girl. Later, after I quit, I told him and he was mad. But the guy was his friend and the only one who would work the derrick because our rig was considered a jinx.
Overall -- I don't know why you would want to work on an oil rig. I read one post where a woman finally admitted that the only reason she wanted to work on the rig was to meet a hunky macho man. Believe me; those men are not someone you necessary want to be around. And if a oil rig guy got together with a woman on the rig, it probably wouldn't last. A man really wants a woman who is feminine, not as strong or macho as them.
Not saying that is what you want. I can understand wanting to work on the rig. You get a lot of money and satisfaction is doing some good hard work. I loved working manual labor and being away from working with other women because women can be so catty and bitchy. Men, at least, tell you how it is.
Let me know if you ever found work on an oilrig.
Val
Newbie
Posts: 1
March 19th, 2008, 09:59 PM
When I was in college I knew a girl who had worked on the rigs. She did it for two years and bought her own house and paid for college. She was in great shape. She said you have to be tough to do it and she was glad she did. If you want to do it remember you will probably be harassed and there are drugs everywhere up there too. I met a guy last week who works in Fort Mac and said the guys are instantly fired if they go in a girl's room at camp but girls are ok to go in guys' rooms. It seems like the rules are there to protect the women. If you want to do it good for you and good luck.
When I was in college I knew a girl who had worked on the rigs. She did it for two years and bought her own house and paid for college. She was in great shape. She said you have to be tough to do it and she was glad she did. If you want to do it remember you will probably be harassed and there are drugs everywhere up there too. I met a guy last week who works in Fort Mac and said the guys are instantly fired if they go in a girl's room at camp but girls are ok to go in guys' rooms. It seems like the rules are there to protect the women. If you want to do it good for you and good luck.
Genius
Posts: 821
Location: Red Deer AB
Location: Red Deer AB
March 19th, 2008, 10:26 PM
Actually drug-testing is mandatory, mess up once and you are gone, no matter how long or how good of a worker you are. For a girl I wouldn't even recommend working on the floor (unless you could also throw hay-bales for hours at a time. Safety boss (observer)or first-aid might be a better position (more or less a 'just in case position'), or getting in with a wire-line company would be less physically demanding.
Fort Mac hires lots of drivers (ore-trucks, etc) and they make just as good money, plus their job is steadier, rigs have frequent shut-down and most of the guys I know work for whoever gets the contracts rather than sticking to one single company.
Actually drug-testing is mandatory, mess up once and you are gone, no matter how long or how good of a worker you are. For a girl I wouldn't even recommend working on the floor (unless you could also throw hay-bales for hours at a time. Safety boss (observer)or first-aid might be a better position (more or less a 'just in case position'), or getting in with a wire-line company would be less physically demanding.
Fort Mac hires lots of drivers (ore-trucks, etc) and they make just as good money, plus their job is steadier, rigs have frequent shut-down and most of the guys I know work for whoever gets the contracts rather than sticking to one single company.
Newbie
Posts: 12
Location: Edmonton Area
Location: Edmonton Area
March 24th, 2008, 11:36 AM
I think that a Lease Hand position would be an easy way to get in at the ground level, you can see how things work and its not as pyhsically demanding, you basically drive around and get meals and supplies, and help with cleaning and maintaining the rig, you will be asked from time to time help on the Floor Hands and Motor Man as well as Derek Man.
I think that a Lease Hand position would be an easy way to get in at the ground level, you can see how things work and its not as pyhsically demanding, you basically drive around and get meals and supplies, and help with cleaning and maintaining the rig, you will be asked from time to time help on the Floor Hands and Motor Man as well as Derek Man.
Member
Posts: 222
Location: Edmonton
Location: Edmonton
April 17th, 2008, 03:16 PM
A friend has quit Canadian Forces recently. In really excellent shape he went to work on the rigs around High Level AB. He says the biggest problem he hit was drugs and drug use. A huge amount of Cocain on the jobs. Because of that alone he felt he was in constant danger. He complained to the rig people who have the ability to spot check for drug use and they did nothing. Finally he quit.
After he quit there was a raid for lack of better words on the rig. A number of people got suspended for drug use.
They asked him to go back now the rig was "cleaned up" but he had found work elsewhere.
It is usually 2 weeks in and 1 week out. Your generally get your transporation paid to Edmonton. At the price of housing and so on up here, it is a coin toss as to wheter you are making any money at the end of your day.
Good luck in any case!
A friend has quit Canadian Forces recently. In really excellent shape he went to work on the rigs around High Level AB. He says the biggest problem he hit was drugs and drug use. A huge amount of Cocain on the jobs. Because of that alone he felt he was in constant danger. He complained to the rig people who have the ability to spot check for drug use and they did nothing. Finally he quit.
After he quit there was a raid for lack of better words on the rig. A number of people got suspended for drug use.
They asked him to go back now the rig was "cleaned up" but he had found work elsewhere.
It is usually 2 weeks in and 1 week out. Your generally get your transporation paid to Edmonton. At the price of housing and so on up here, it is a coin toss as to wheter you are making any money at the end of your day.
Good luck in any case!
