Company man
Encyclopedia
A company man in the petroleum industry
refers to a representative of an operating/exploration
company. Other terms that may be used are company representative, foreman, drilling engineer, company consultant, rigsite leader or "well site manager".
In a normal scenario, gas/oil-drilling (exploration) companies rent or lease
rig
s from another company that owns the rig, the drilling contractor. The majority of the personnel on the drilling rig, called 'the rig crew', are employees of the drilling contractor. The Company Man is the on-site representative of the operating/exploration company and is in overall charge of the drilling and associated activities. Rig operations and maintenance and crew upkeep are attended to by the toolpusher, who works for the drilling contractor.
may be questioned the oil rig workers, who may not be employed by the same company as the company man, may refuse to perform an action requested by the company man. In recent years it has become standard safety policy that anyone can "Stop the Job" if they feel there is a hazard that has not been properly addressed. This can be found in most contractor safety manuals and is generally encouraged by the drilling company also.
The company man is knowledgeable in the area of drilling operations and to some extent completion operations. He/she is not generally responsible for defining the technical aspects of the well, but instead works with a team of office-based engineers and geologists and is the team member responsible for carrying out the written drilling program in an efficient and safe fashion. Since most of the physical work is carried out by contractors that may have separate interests from the oil company, the company man is often the sole representative of the oil company on location to ensure that plans are carried out according to specifications, time-lines and budgets.
In the modern era, many company men have a degree in petroleum engineering
or some other discipline of engineering
with broad experience in a variety of oilfield jobs. However, many others have some of the skills of a drilling engineer but without a degree, and have worked their way from being a "worm" manual laborer to the position of highest authority on the drilling site, similar to a private working to the position of general through a demonstration of competence. The next step for a company man is to become a specialist "floating foreman," who is skilled at solving complex drilling problems, or to become a "rig superintendent" who may oversee many rigs and have company men as direct reports. From there it is possible for some to move on to upper management in an oil company, or to branch off into a multitude of other careers requiring technical management experience.
Usually, 24-hour supervision is required at the well site. To achieve this, a night company man may be utilized.
Petroleum industry
The petroleum industry includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transporting , and marketing petroleum products. The largest volume products of the industry are fuel oil and gasoline...
refers to a representative of an operating/exploration
Oil exploration
Hydrocarbon exploration is the search by petroleum geologists and geophysicists for hydrocarbon deposits beneath the Earth's surface, such as oil and natural gas...
company. Other terms that may be used are company representative, foreman, drilling engineer, company consultant, rigsite leader or "well site manager".
In a normal scenario, gas/oil-drilling (exploration) companies rent or lease
Lease
A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the lessee to pay the lessor for use of an asset. A rental agreement is a lease in which the asset is tangible property...
rig
Rig
Rig may refer to:* Rig, Something that a dog pulls when Mushing* Rig, a slang term referring to a tractor unit* Drilling rig, a structure housing equipment used to drill or extract oil from underground* Gaming rig, a PC built for high-performance gaming...
s from another company that owns the rig, the drilling contractor. The majority of the personnel on the drilling rig, called 'the rig crew', are employees of the drilling contractor. The Company Man is the on-site representative of the operating/exploration company and is in overall charge of the drilling and associated activities. Rig operations and maintenance and crew upkeep are attended to by the toolpusher, who works for the drilling contractor.
Expertise
A company man is not a supervisor in the traditional sense. He/she is representing the company that is paying for the well amongst other companies performing the services. In matters where safetySafety
Safety is the state of being "safe" , the condition of being protected against physical, social, spiritual, financial, political, emotional, occupational, psychological, educational or other types or consequences of failure, damage, error, accidents, harm or any other event which could be...
may be questioned the oil rig workers, who may not be employed by the same company as the company man, may refuse to perform an action requested by the company man. In recent years it has become standard safety policy that anyone can "Stop the Job" if they feel there is a hazard that has not been properly addressed. This can be found in most contractor safety manuals and is generally encouraged by the drilling company also.
The company man is knowledgeable in the area of drilling operations and to some extent completion operations. He/she is not generally responsible for defining the technical aspects of the well, but instead works with a team of office-based engineers and geologists and is the team member responsible for carrying out the written drilling program in an efficient and safe fashion. Since most of the physical work is carried out by contractors that may have separate interests from the oil company, the company man is often the sole representative of the oil company on location to ensure that plans are carried out according to specifications, time-lines and budgets.
In the modern era, many company men have a degree in petroleum engineering
Petroleum engineering
Petroleum engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the activities related to the production of hydrocarbons, which can be either crude oil or natural gas. Subsurface activities are deemed to fall within the upstream sector of the oil and gas industry, which are the activities of...
or some other discipline of engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
with broad experience in a variety of oilfield jobs. However, many others have some of the skills of a drilling engineer but without a degree, and have worked their way from being a "worm" manual laborer to the position of highest authority on the drilling site, similar to a private working to the position of general through a demonstration of competence. The next step for a company man is to become a specialist "floating foreman," who is skilled at solving complex drilling problems, or to become a "rig superintendent" who may oversee many rigs and have company men as direct reports. From there it is possible for some to move on to upper management in an oil company, or to branch off into a multitude of other careers requiring technical management experience.
Usually, 24-hour supervision is required at the well site. To achieve this, a night company man may be utilized.