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Roughneck skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical roughneck skills. We ranked the top skills for roughnecks based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 18.1% of roughneck resumes contained safety equipment as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a roughneck needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 roughneck skills for your resume and career

1. Safety Equipment

Here's how roughnecks use safety equipment:

Inspected facilities, machinery, and safety equipment to identify potential hazards and to insure safety regulation compliance.
Loaded and unloaded machinery tools, wore required personnel safety equipment.

2. Flow Lines

Here's how roughnecks use flow lines:

Worked with Connection of tanks and flow lines, using wrenches.
Walk flow lines to locate leaks by making visual inspections, and repair leaks.Provide assistance in well control situations.

3. Tongs

Here's how roughnecks use tongs:

Handle pipe with Tele-Handler(fork loader), run power tongs, work rig floor, maintain equipment.
Worked with hydraulic top drive unit, rig tongs, hydraulic spinners, and hydraulic Roughneck wrench on floor.

4. General Maintenance

General maintenance is the regular check-up and repairs of machinery, buildings, and other mechanical equipment. General maintenance is performed by repair workers who are skilled to handle the day-to-day defects produced in the machinery. General maintenance aims to make sure the items remain in the best operational conditions. Usually, a set of planned activities are performed regularly by an expert to monitor the maintenance.

Here's how roughnecks use general maintenance:

General maintenance on rig floor, running casing, well control, tripping pipe in and out hole.
General maintenance with the motors including air, oil, and fuel filter changes.

5. Preventative Maintenance

Here's how roughnecks use preventative maintenance:

Performed routine diesel generator inspections, oil changes, filter changes and kept maintained records of preventative maintenance being performed.
Conduct preventative maintenance on rig and promote workplace safety practices.

6. Mud Pumps

Here's how roughnecks use mud pumps:

Work on repaired and replace mud pumps, water pumps, hydraulic pumps and centrifugal pumps.
Clean location wash rag rig-up breakdown work on mud pumps tripping in tripping out used forklift

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7. Drill Bits

Here's how roughnecks use drill bits:

Assembled and took apart drilling rods and changed drill bits.
Manipulate section of pipe during drilling while removal and replacement of string of pipe, drill bit And Downhole tools.

8. Manual Labor

Any kind of work that is carried out by workers manually instead of using machines is termed manual labor.

Here's how roughnecks use manual labor:

Assist other members of the rig crew, performing manual labor and odd jobs as assigned.
Secure and efficiently conduct all manual labor tasks on the drilling floor and B.O.P.

9. Safety Regulations

Here's how roughnecks use safety regulations:

Learn and follow company safety regulations.
Worked in a fast pace environment while following safety regulations.

10. Well Control

Here's how roughnecks use well control:

Certified in WellCAP - Introductory Well Control Course, and fifty-two hour Advanced Fire Fighting, Delgado Community College
Gained knowledge by working in high pressure areas of Well Control and BOPE operating systems.

11. Floor Equipment

Here's how roughnecks use floor equipment:

Perform regular steel preparation and painting to maintain rig floor equipment and structure.
Performed routine maintenance and repairs on mud systems and rig floor equipment.

12. Service Equipment

Here's how roughnecks use service equipment:

Operate special service equipment such as casing and tubing equipment.
Assisted in assembly, disassembly and transportation of drilling machinery and service equipment.

13. Drill Floor

Here's how roughnecks use drill floor:

Progressed to work on the drill floor as a roughneck reporting to the driller.
Serviced oil and gas wells and maintained drilling equipment on the drill floor.

14. Emergency Situations

Here's how roughnecks use emergency situations:

Assist as first responders for emergency situations and evacuation procedures.
Respond to emergency situations including hydrogen sulfide detection and major mechanical or structural failures.

15. CPR

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR is a medical procedure that involves chest compression to help a patient breathe. This artificial ventilation helps in keeping the brain function in place and regulates blood throughout the body. CPR is a lifesaving procedure that is used in emergencies.

Here's how roughnecks use cpr:

Completed certification in First aide, CPR and AED.
Certified in fighting and extinguishing fires and certified CPR.

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List of roughneck skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a roughneck resume and required skills for a roughneck to have include:

Safety Equipment
Flow Lines
Tongs
General Maintenance
Preventative Maintenance
Mud Pumps
Drill Bits
Manual Labor
Safety Regulations
Well Control
Floor Equipment
Service Equipment
Drill Floor
Emergency Situations
CPR

JSA
Transport Materials
Fall Protection
BHA
Safety Procedures
Derricks
Equipment Maintenance
Routine Maintenance
Hoists
Visual Inspections
H2S
Drilling Fluid
Top Drive
PPE
Motorized Lifts

Safety Issues
Rig Moves
Power Wrenches
Core Samples
Spinners
Drill String
Drill Tools
Storage Tanks
Bottom Hole
Mix Chemicals
Unload Trucks
Mud Weight
Oil Rigs
Mud Tanks

Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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