Derrick hand vs well service derrick worker

The differences between derrick hands and well service derrick workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a derrick hand and a well service derrick worker. Additionally, a well service derrick worker has an average salary of $76,834, which is higher than the $38,109 average annual salary of a derrick hand.

Derrick hand vs well service derrick worker overview

	Derrick Hand	Well Service Derrick Worker
Yearly salary	$38,109	$76,834
Hourly rate	$18.32	$36.94
Growth rate	1%	12%
Number of jobs	5,225	20,990
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 62%	High School Diploma, 100%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Derrick hand vs well service derrick worker salary

Derrick hands and well service derrick workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Derrick Hand	Well Service Derrick Worker
Average salary	$38,109	$76,834
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $48,000	Between $45,000 And $128,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between derrick hand and well service derrick worker education

There are a few differences between a derrick hand and a well service derrick worker in terms of educational background:

	Derrick Hand	Well Service Derrick Worker
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 62%	High School Diploma, 100%
Most common major	Business	-
Most common college	-	-

Derrick hand vs well service derrick worker demographics

Here are the differences between derrick hands' and well service derrick workers' demographics:

	Derrick Hand	Well Service Derrick Worker
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 97.7% Female, 2.3%	Male, 100.0% Female, 0.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.0% Asian, 1.2% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%	Black or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.4% Asian, 1.2% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.3%
LGBT Percentage	2%	2%

Differences between derrick hand and well service derrick worker duties and responsibilities

Derrick hand example responsibilities.

Provide leadership and guidance to direct reports, and manage their efforts to maximize their contribution to operational effectiveness and performance.
strip on bop, go into the derrick, come out of hole with tubing.
Complete first aid and H2S awareness.
Watch H2S levels when on gas locations.
Operate and service the bridge cranes and relate hoisting equipment.
Drill wells, track BHA's tallies, rig equipment and personnel.

Well service derrick worker example responsibilities.

Manage and perform rig operations, repair large mud pump motors, hoppers, shakers, generators, valves and agitators.
Recognize risk factors quickly, collaborate with interdisciplinary team, nurture positive relationships with patients through consistency and modeling healthy boundaries.
Inspect derricks, prior to being raise or lower, clean and oil derricks in order to maintain proper working conditions.

Derrick hand vs well service derrick worker skills

Common derrick hand skills

Flow Lines, 15%
Tongs, 9%
Fall Protection, 9%
Drilling Fluid, 7%
Derricks, 5%
Drill Pipe, 5%

Common well service derrick worker skills

Derrick Hand vs. similar jobs

Derrick Hand related careers

Derrick Hand related jobs

What similar roles do

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Construction and Extraction Industry
Derrick Hand
Derrick Hand vs Well Service Derrick Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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