CAREER

Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas

Overview

Salary Median (2020)

$48,250

Projected Job Growth (2019-2029)

+9.1% (as fast as the average)

Career

What Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas Do

Operate a variety of drills such as rotary, churn, and pneumatic to tap subsurface 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. Includes horizontal and earth boring machine operators.

Other Job Titles Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas May Have

Blast Hole Driller, Drill Operator, Driller, Well Driller

Tasks & Responsibilities May 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.
  • 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.

This page includes information from theO*NET 26.1 Databaseby the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under theCC BY 4.0license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.