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What is a floor hand and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

The Floor hand is responsible for performing service rig functions to ensure continuous production in line with established standards. They work on oil and gas drilling rigs under the supervision of a driller, perform routine inspections on equipment, and conduct maintenance checks.

Also, they help in removing or installing wellhead and associated equipment and report safety hazards, accidents, or maintenance issues to the rig operator or supervisor. Additionally, they service gas and oil wells and transports rigs, and other vehicles. The floor hand also performs other tasks as assigned.

Floor hands usually possess a high school diploma, GED, or equivalent education. You must know about basic mechanical functions. Although Employers provide on-the-job training, you must possess teamwork, problem-solving, multitasking, and communication skills. You must pay rapt attention to safety and be able to work under harsh conditions. The average salary of a Floor hand is $33,090 per year. It varies between $23,000 and $48,000.

ScoreFloor HandUS Average
Salary
2.9

Avg. Salary $36,554

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity
7.6
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 2.22%

Asian 1.22%

Black or African American 9.25%

Hispanic or Latino 22.25%

Unknown 4.19%

White 60.86%

Gender

female 3.93%

male 96.07%

Age - 39
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39
Stress level
8.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.1

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
1.8

Work life balance is very poor

6.4 - fair

Floor hand career paths

Key steps to become a floor hand

  1. Explore floor hand education requirements

    Most common floor hand degrees

    High School Diploma

    56.5 %

    Associate

    14.2 %

    Bachelor's

    12.9 %
  2. Start to develop specific floor hand skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Tongs19.91%
    Fall Protection6.82%
    Safety Equipment6.37%
    Safety Rules5.74%
    Preventative Maintenance4.28%
  3. Research floor hand duties and responsibilities

    • Provide leadership and guidance to direct reports, and manage their efforts to maximize their contribution to operational effectiveness and performance.
    • Perform daily inspection of rig hoisting systems, slips, tongs, and iron roughneck on the rig floor.
    • Certify in CPR and a's.
    • Pull back pipe and run pipe in the hole on the monkey board.
  4. Prepare your floor hand resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your floor hand resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a floor hand resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable floor hand resume templates

    Build a professional floor hand resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your floor hand resume.
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    Floor Hand Resume
  5. Apply for floor hand jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a floor hand job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first floor hand job

Zippi

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Average floor hand salary

The average floor hand salary in the United States is $36,554 per year or $18 per hour. Floor hand salaries range between $29,000 and $45,000 per year.

Average floor hand salary
$36,554 Yearly
$17.57 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do floor hands rate their job?

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Floor hand reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2020
Pros

All the Time the worker are on movement with a high responsability, always pending atention according situations.

Cons

Salary


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2019
Pros

working outside and not in an office

Cons

the hours I have to spend away from my Family.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2019
Pros

Working at height tripping of pipes check OMG of fluid level.

Cons

The stress involved in the job


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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