Career profile
Also known as Floor Hand, Galley Hand, Oil Field Roustabout, Production Roustabout, Rig Hand, Roustabout, Roustabout Crew Pusher, Roustabout Hand, Roustabout Pusher
Roustabout
Also known as Floor Hand, Galley Hand, Oil Field Roustabout
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Interests Profile
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Realistic
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Conventional
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Investigative
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Pay Range
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$28,700 - $60,650 (annual)
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Required Skills
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Monitoring
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Critical Thinking
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Operations Monitoring
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Knowledge Areas
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Public Safety and Security
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Mechanical
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Mathematics
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Core tasks
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Keep pipe deck and main deck areas clean and tidy.
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Guide cranes to move loads about decks.
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Unscrew or tighten pipes, casing, tubing, and pump rods, using hand and power wrenches and tongs.
What does a Roustabout do?
Roustabouts assemble or repair oil field equipment using hand and power tools.
In addition, Roustabouts perform other tasks as needed.
What kind of tasks does a Roustabout perform regularly?
Roustabouts are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:
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Keep pipe deck and main deck areas clean and tidy.
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Unscrew or tighten pipes, casing, tubing, and pump rods, using hand and power wrenches and tongs.
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Walk flow lines to locate leaks, using electronic detectors and by making visual inspections, and repair the leaks.
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Move pipes to and from trucks, using truck winches and motorized lifts, or by hand.
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Bolt together pump and engine parts.
The above responsibilities are specific to Roustabouts. More generally, Roustabouts are involved in several broader types of activities:
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Activities
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Importance |
Details |
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Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
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Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
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Handling and Moving Objects
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Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
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Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
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Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
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Getting Information
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Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
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Performing General Physical Activities
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Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
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Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
Handling and Moving Objects
Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Performing General Physical Activities
Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
What is a Roustabout salary?
The median salary for a Roustabout is
$39,420,
and the average salary is
$42,160.
Both the median and average roughly describe the middle of the Roustabout salary range, but the average is more easily affected by extremely high or low salaries.
Many Roustabouts earn significantly more or less than the average, due to several factors.
About 10% of Roustabouts earn less than $28,700 per year,
25% earn less than $33,850,
75% earn
less than $48,740, and
90% earn
less than $60,650.
Between the years of 2020 and 2030, the number of Roustabouts is expected to change by 29.7%, and there should be roughly 7,200 open positions for Roustabouts every year.
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Median annual salary
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$39,420
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Typical salary range
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$28,700 -
$60,650
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Projected growth (2020 - 2030)
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29.7%
What personality traits are common among Roustabouts?
Interests
Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.
Compared to most occupations, those who work as a Roustabout are usually higher in their
Realistic
interests.
Roustabouts typically have very strong
Realistic
interests. Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Values
People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.
Compared to most people, those working as a Roustabout tend to value
Support,
Relationships, and
Working Conditions.
Most importantly,
Roustabouts strongly value
Support.
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees.
Second,
Roustabouts moderately value
Relationships.
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.
Lastly,
Roustabouts somewhat value
Working Conditions.
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions.
Psychological Demands
Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.
In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as Roustabouts must consistently demonstrate qualities such as
dependability,
attention to detail, and
integrity.
Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of Roustabouts, ranked by importance:
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Demands
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Importance |
Details |
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Dependability
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Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
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Attention to Detail
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Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
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Integrity
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Job requires being honest and ethical.
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Cooperation
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Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
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Concern for Others
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Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
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Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Job requires being honest and ethical.
Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
What education and training do Roustabouts need?
Working as a Roustabout may require a high school diploma or GED certificate.
Roustabouts need anywhere from a few days to a few months of training. Usually, an experienced worker could show you how to do the job.
Educational degrees among Roustabouts
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17.6% did not complete
high school or secondary school
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47.3% completed
high school or secondary school
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25.3% completed
some college coursework
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3.7% earned a
Associate's degree
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5.7% earned a
Bachelor's degree
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0.4% earned a
Master's degree
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0.1% earned a
doctorate or professional degree
Knowledge and expertise required by Roustabouts
Roustabouts may benefit from understanding of specialized subject areas, such as
public safety and security,
mechanical, or
mathematics
knowledge.
The list below shows several areas in which most Roustabouts might want to build proficiency, ranked by importance.
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Knowledge areas
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Importance |
Details |
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Public Safety and Security
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Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
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Mechanical
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Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
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Mathematics
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Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
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Building and Construction
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Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
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Transportation
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Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
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Public Safety and Security
Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Building and Construction
Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
Important Abilities needed by Roustabouts
Roustabouts must develop a particular set of
abilities
to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.
For example, Roustabouts need abilities such as
problem sensitivity,
manual dexterity, and
multilimb coordination
in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for Roustabouts, ranked by their relative importance.
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Abilities
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Importance |
Details |
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Problem Sensitivity
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The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
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Manual Dexterity
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The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
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Multilimb Coordination
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The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
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Near Vision
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The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
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Control Precision
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The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
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The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
Critical Skills needed by Roustabouts
Skills
are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.
Roustabouts frequently use skills like
monitoring,
critical thinking, and
operations monitoring
to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for Roustabouts, ranked by their relative importance.
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Skills
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Importance |
Details |
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Monitoring
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Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
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Critical Thinking
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Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
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Operations Monitoring
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Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
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Troubleshooting
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Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
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Quality Control Analysis
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Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
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Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
What is the source of this information?
The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
If you have any questions or suggestions about this information, please send a message.
