Toolpusher Jobs on Offshore Platforms

Toolpusher job description

Toolpusher's job is one of the key positions on oil platform or any other type offshore oil drilling facility. Regardless, whether this is exploration drilling or development/production oilfield servicing, Toolpusher is a person on offshore rig who is responsible for coordinating all operations in the oil drilling department and supervising them is his direct responsibility. In fact, on offshore oil rig, Toolpusher is a chief of drilling department.

Toolpusher's job also largely involves managing the subordinate staff and performing administrative functions. As for the maintenance of the equipment, Toolpusher is responsible for scheduling regular testing and performing all the needed maintenance in proper order, so the machinery, mechanism, all parts of rig and rig in general functions as required. Using all available means, Toolpusher inspects personally rigs to make sure they are in order and can be operated safely without endangering rig workers and polluting the environment. He performs his duties from the contractor's side and interacts closely with company man, who is charged with supervisory role from the behalf of oilfield or oil drilling site operator.

Progressing towards taking the position of Toolpusher is the employment opportunity and prospects, open to every entry-level Roustabout or even Galleyhand aboard oil platform, should that greenhand entry level offshore worker have enough ambition, motivation, and be someone with good leadership spirit. That's true, that the majority of tool pushers in the industry made their way up the career ladder starting from the very bottom, as greenhand roustabout, and gaining all necessary skills by means of onsite training.

On many offshore rigs Toolpusher is responsible for the whole process of managing the personnel through continuous instruction on safety procedures and regularly briefing all drilling/production crew members on matters of safe performance, leads discussions and training sessions, ensures quick response to safety concerns in the capacity of supervisor. From explaining daily duties and monitoring the adherence of work process to the schedule to the timely pay out of salaries are all his/her duties.

When hiring or promoting a proficient and believed sufficiently experienced applicant for a position of offshore Toolpusher, the company expects that individual to of keen and attentive nature with ability to notice or detect arising problem at the stage of early signs, so that the minor defects or malfunctions could be fixed in timely manner, and the threats eliminated well before they could evolve to something serious leading to major failure or costly halt of the machinery, not to say emergency or overall disaster (just remember Deep Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico). It is Toolpusher's responsibility to work in close contact with mechanical engineers or mechanics on offshore oil rigs to ensure both scheduled maintenance and unscheduled repairs or replacement of machinery, tools, appliances, and mechanisms used in the continuous process of drilling/oil production.

Though the position of Toolpusher is advanced one with many managerial and administrative functions added to his main responsibilities of leader-supervisor, Toolpusher's job requires very good health physical strength and endurance, and the ability to work long hours, if needed - overtime, in challenging environment and under stressful situations requiring quick reaction and immediate response.