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Earth drillers, except oil and gas (U.S. side O*NET-SOC 47-5023.00, Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas) are drilling operation positions in the field and at construction sites: they operate various rigs such as rotary, cable-tool, and pneumatic drills to extract groundwater and salt deposits, collect core samples in mineral exploration or soil testing, and facilitate the use of explosives in mining or construction (including horizontal boring machine and earth boring machine operators); the work includes studying the task sheet and geological data to determine the hole position and depth and diameter and coring or well completion requirements, surveying the site and pipelines and slopes and positioning and leveling the rig and stabilizing the outriggers and extending the mast, assembling and inspecting the drilling tools and bits and rods and well completion equipment, selecting bits and rods according to the geotechnical and strata conditions and controlling rotation speed and air pressure and down pressure and flushing, adding or removing rods and changing bits and verifying hole position and depth and verticality, observing returns and recording strata and coring and sampling and logging and submitting for testing, installing well casing and screen and filter material and sealing and installing pumps when completing wells and washing and disinfecting and conducting pumping tests, drilling for blasting and grouting and anchoring and foundations, performing routine maintenance and upgrading equipment and fishing out dropped equipment, disposing of mud and waste oil and wastewater and spoil per the procedures and restoring the site and reporting and handing over when anomalies occur. U.S. definition: the BLS 2025 wage data median is 60,190 USD per year (28.94 USD per hour), with annual percentiles of 44,460 / 49,900 / 60,190 / 72,450 / 83,800 USD (hourly percentiles 21.37 / 23.99 / 28.94 / 34.83 / 40.29); the O*NET summary page gives 2024 employment of about 18,300, a 2024—2034 projection of 'average (Average, 3% to 4%)', and about 1,700 projected job openings (that source gives only the category and range rather than a single precise percentage, and this page follows the source wording); the preparation level is Job Zone 1-2 (SVP below 6.0), the education feedback is 73% high school or equivalent and 15% less than high school graduation and 12% postsecondary certificate, the interest code is RCI, and there are 29 tasks; the work context includes face-to-face discussions every day 75%, continuous contact with others 39%, telephone every day 35%, teamwork 'extremely important' 34%, decision freedom 'very large' 66%, precision or accuracy 'extremely important' 16% + 'very important' 50%, standing continuously or almost continuously 52%, exposure to hazardous equipment every day 71%, wearing common protective or safety equipment every day 84%, noise every day 65%, extreme heat or extreme cold every day 28% + weekly or more 39%, outdoor all kinds of weather every day 79%, whole-body vibration every day 42% + weekly or more 43%, repeating the same tasks 'extremely important' 18%, consequences of error 'extremely serious' 52%, competition 'no competition' 33%, making decisions every day 44%, and time pressure every day 20%. Mainland China definition: geological exploration units carrying out drilling and trenching construction should obtain a work safety license under the Interim Provisions on the Supervision and Administration of Work Safety in Geological Exploration of Metal and Non-metal Mineral Resources (promulgated by the State Administration of Work Safety Order No. 35 and amended by Order No. 78) and, holding a geological exploration qualification certificate and project task approval document or contract, submit a written report to the county-level work safety supervision and administration department where the work area is located, and should establish systems for work safety responsibility and position operating procedures and education and training and hidden danger investigation and treatment and emergency response; special operation personnel must undergo dedicated safety technical training and pass the assessment and obtain a special operation certificate before taking the post; trenching workers should receive at least 72 hours of work safety education before first taking the post and at least 20 hours of retraining each year thereafter; the design and construction and safety management of geological exploration engineering should comply with the Safety Code for Geological Exploration (AQ 2004); the trenching engineering design plan should include a special safety chapter and be reviewed and approved. The above is cited by regulation and standard name and verified key points, and article numbers were not verified one by one. This occupation has no unified access-type occupational qualification in mainland China. Public statistics have not established an occupation-level wage definition corresponding to this occupation, this page preserves the gap as it stands, and industry average wages serve only as a visible industry proxy.
Decision center: the work of earth drillers, except oil and gas, is to turn these front-end conditions — geological and drilling task requirements, site and access and water and power conditions, drilling rigs and drilling tools and well completion equipment, and geotechnical and groundwater information and safety and environmental conditions — into a borehole result with an accurate position, controllable depth and verticality, usable cores and samples, and a usable well, all within safety and environmental boundaries: first determine the hole position, depth, diameter, and coring or well completion requirements according to the task, then mobilize and level and stabilize the site and install and level the drilling rig, then select the rig, bits, and drill rods according to the geotechnical conditions and control rotation speed, air pressure, and down pressure for drilling, during which flush the hole and blow out dust and verify the hole depth and position and verticality, observe the returns, and record the strata, then take cores and samples and log and submit them for testing, and for well completion install the well casing and screen and gravel pack and sealing and wash the well and conduct pumping tests and disinfection, and finally dismantle the rig and restore the site and report anomalies. The point of judgment is not 'can the hole be drilled down' but whether every step of the chain — task and site, positioning and drilling, sampling and well completion, and records and safety — is accurate, verifiable, and handled according to the task and safety and environmental requirements.
The work object of this occupation is the field and construction site: the task sheet and hole position and depth and diameter and coring or well completion requirements, site and access and water and power and working face and slope and underground pipeline and buried object conditions, the specifications and status of drilling rigs and tools and bits and rods and well completion equipment, geotechnical and groundwater and strata information, mud or flushing and dust removal and waste residue and waste oil and wastewater disposal and environmental requirements, and sampling logging and progress and safety and environmental records. The output is a borehole and well completion result and records that meet the task and depth and verticality requirements: hole position, depth, and diameter completed by specification and geotechnical conditions, cores and samples and logs obtained per the task, well casing and screen and gravel pack and sealing and well washing and pumping tests completed per the design, and verifiable sampling and progress and anomaly and safety and environmental records. The basis for judgment is the task sheet and geological data and geotechnical conditions and drilling rig and tool and safety and environmental procedures, not personal habits or the job title.
Judgment one: whether the task and hole position and depth and diameter are verified clearly — checking the hole position and depth and diameter and coring or well completion requirements against the task sheet and geological data and site conditions, rather than starting to drill from impression.
This table compares 'earth drillers, except oil and gas' row by row with six adjacent positions that are easily confused within the same drilling and foundation and earthwork content or have rotation and transfer relationships, by core work and outputs, key differences, and selection basis. The purpose of the comparison is not to rank them but to explain their respective duty boundaries and authorization scopes — in particular, geological design determination authority, blasting operation authority, well condition safety permit authority, environmental compliance conclusion authority, and engineering acceptance authority cannot be assumed by this occupation as well.
The comparison should rest on three things: first, the work object (oil and gas wells and well control and drilling fluid, derricks and drilling tools and wellhead equipment, oil and gas well service and workover equipment, piles and pile sinking and foundations, earthmoving and lifting and paving machinery, on-site auxiliary work); second, the basis and authorization (the respective application of the task sheet and geological data and geotechnical conditions and drilling rig and tool and safety and environmental procedures, oil and gas drilling and well control procedures, derrick and equipment procedures, workover procedures, pile foundation codes, and construction machinery operation and safety procedures); third, outputs and responsibility (who is responsible for hole position and depth and verticality and coring and well completion, who is responsible for the oil and gas wellbore and well control, who is responsible for the derrick and wellhead equipment, who is responsible for service and workover, who is responsible for the pile foundation, who is responsible for earthmoving and lifting, and who is responsible for on-site assistance). When the three are inconsistent, the actual duties of the position and the task sheet and qualification and standard documents prevail.
Editorial candidates: verifying task/hole position data extraction, parameter table checking, and sampling and maintenance record organization; real data and an approved plan and manual on-site verification are required. Deployment/efficiency/missed-entry reduction/substitution were not verified; measurement/conventional calculation/mechanical control are not necessarily GenAI. O*NET lists 4 categories of software: GPS, Office, Excel, Word; the Hot3 items show no proportions of the denominator of all unique U.S. occupation postings in 2025 and are not filled in as 0. ILO exposure is not adoption or layoffs, and NIST governance is not a drilling compliance permit.
National exact wage gap for this occupation in China. NBS2025 construction non-private 92036/ private 66275, and scientific and technical services non-private 182064/ private 83560 yuan per year (on the current Chinese and English original page table 5: 2025=83560, 2024=82387) are pre-tax industry averages respectively; construction/geological/geotechnical positions may be relevant but the unit classification must be verified, and these are not the occupational median/starting pay/monthly wage; they cover 5+ urban legal entities and exclude self-employment and freelance work, and do not exclude all unit piece-rate/part-time/labor dispatch workers.
National exact wage gap for this occupation in China. NBS2025 construction non-private 92036/ private 66275, and scientific and technical services non-private 182064/ private 83560 yuan per year (on the current Chinese and English original page table 5: 2025=83560, 2024=82387) are pre-tax industry averages respectively; construction/geological/geotechnical positions may be relevant but the unit classification must be verified, and these are not the occupational median/starting pay/monthly wage; they cover 5+ urban legal entities and exclude self-employment and freelance work, and do not exclude all unit piece-rate/part-time/labor dispatch workers.
U.S. statistical definition: O*NET-SOC 47-5023.00 is the exact occupation definition. The BLS 2025 wage data median is 60,190 USD per year (28.94 USD per hour).
U.S. 47-5023 2025 annual 10/25/50/75/90 percentiles 44460/49900/60190/72450/83800 USD; hourly 21.37/23.99/28.94/34.83/40.29. OEWS employed pre-tax straight-time wages exclude self-employment, include commissions/production bonuses, and exclude overtime premiums; all field/night shift/temperature allowances cannot be excluded across the board, and specific wage items are verified by definition. Percentiles are not starting pay/seniority levels/personal caps.
Observation signal one: willing to stand and operate for long periods in the field and at construction sites under noise and dust and vibration and weather conditions, and able to work according to the task sheet and geotechnical conditions and procedures rather than by feel.
Observation signal two: willing to follow edge and electrical and hoisting and rotating part and high-pressure line and dust and noise safety and environmental procedures, and to confirm before acting where in-hole and equipment and safety and environmental matters are involved.
Observation signal three: able to stay careful about hole depth and position and verticality and sampling under repetitive operations and long field hours and abnormal in-hole pressure, and not to skip inspection to rush the work.
Task and hole position and pipeline error risk: the task sheet and geological data and hole position and depth and diameter and site and pipeline and buried object conditions are not checked clearly, leading to drilling into underground pipelines and hole position deviation and rework and material and schedule waste. AQ2004-2005 platform current/mandatory; clause 1 covers Chinese geological exploration (excluding oil and gas geological exploration) and explicitly does not apply to using the technology in other industries, so the U.S. code scope is not fully mapped onto the standard scope. Actually read: 4.5 requires geological exploration units to provide field survival and self- and mutual-rescue skills training at least once every two years for field personnel; the project team provides safety education before each field deployment or before changing regions, 4.7 protective equipment, 4.8 health examinations; 10.1/10.2 rig foundation and drill frame installation and handling, 10.4.1 equipment protection inspection before spudding, 10.4.2 prohibition of cleaning, disassembling, or repairing and of stepping over drive belts while rotating, 10.4.3 shutting down before repairing high-pressure hoses; 10.5.2 in-hole accidents are handled by the rig team leader or an experienced technician under dedicated command while others evacuate, and 10.7.8 electrical repair requires power disconnection with lockout tagging or an attendant. Specific designs/equipment/new versions of cited standards are verified separately, and this page is not an operating manual. Articles 44/45 of the Chinese Work Safety Law require the unit to inform workers of hazards and provide compliant PPE, and Article 54 allows refusal of illegal commands or forced risk-taking; Article 55 allows stopping or taking necessary emergency measures and then evacuating when personal danger is immediate, without registration or approval first; Articles 57/58 require following procedures, correct PPE, and training, and Article 59 requires hazards to be reported immediately to on-site safety management or the unit head. Suspension/restart of ordinary quality problems and the professional signing position must be verified against the real project systems; these were not obtained this round, and no uniform final authority can be granted to the team leader, geologist, repair, or inspection.
Editorial verification of the real announcement experience, rig/process, site/shift, and statutory training; no recruitment samples were obtained this round, so it is not claimed that most zero-experience applicants are hired after short training. The U.S. O*NET new-hire education feedback is high school/equivalent 73%, less than high school 15%, and postsecondary certificate 12%; Job Zone1—2/SVP<6 is a group preparation description with several days to 1 year of training, not a legal threshold for this occupation or that everyone learns it in a few weeks. BLS2025 exact line typically requires high school, less than 5 years of related experience, and long-term on-the-job training; the two sets of indicators differ, so the group label cannot be used to claim that zero experience is always hired or that short training is universal.
U.S. exact occupation 47-5023: 2025 employment 19500 → 2035 projected 20200, a BLS net increase of about 700 and precise growth of 3.6%; the O*NET national trend rounds to 4%, with the summary category Average3—4%. 2025—2035 annual average 1400 openings include growth and replacement, not a ten-year total, not 1400 net annual additions, and not real-time hiring. The BLS self-employment proportion is '—', not filled in as 0, and it is not inferred that all workers are employed; projections are not Chinese demand, individual hiring, or AI causality.
U.S. exact occupation 47-5023: 2025 employment 19500 → 2035 projected 20200, a BLS net increase of about 700 and precise growth of 3.6%; the O*NET national trend rounds to 4%, with the summary category Average3—4%. 2025—2035 annual average 1400 openings include growth and replacement, not a ten-year total, not 1400 net annual additions, and not real-time hiring. The BLS self-employment proportion is '—', not filled in as 0, and it is not inferred that all workers are employed; projections are not Chinese demand, individual hiring, or AI causality.
Study the task sheet and geological data to determine the hole position and depth and diameter and coring or well completion requirements, survey the site and access and water and power and working face and verify overhead lines and underground pipelines and buried objects and slope conditions, level and stabilize the site and position and level the rig and stabilize the outriggers and extend the mast, and assemble and inspect the rig and tools and bits and rods and well completion equipment; select bits and rods according to the geotechnical and strata conditions and operate to control and stabilize the machine and align the tools and adjust rotation speed and air pressure and down pressure and flushing, add or remove rods and change bits and verify hole position and depth and verticality, observe returns and drilling speed and record geological horizons and drilling progress, and take cores and samples and log and submit for testing; for well completion install well casing and screen and filter material and sealing and install pumps and wash and disinfect and conduct pumping tests, drill for blasting and grouting and anchoring and foundations, perform routine maintenance and upgrade equipment and fish out dropped equipment; dispose of mud and waste oil and wastewater and spoil per the procedures and restore the site, and record and report anomalies and complete handover.
This page's occupation operates rotary, cable-tool, and pneumatic drills in the field according to the task to extract groundwater and salt and to take cores and samples in exploration or soil testing and to drill for construction and mining blasting assistance; rotary drill operators and derrick operators handle oil and gas well drilling and well control; pile driver operators handle piles and pile sinking and foundations. The objects and procedures and qualifications differ and cannot be interchanged by name.
Suitable for a first try: willing to stand and operate for long periods in the field and at construction sites under noise, dust, vibration, and weather conditions; able to select drilling tools according to the task and geotechnical conditions and control drilling speed and air pressure and down pressure per the procedures and stay careful about hole depth and position and verticality; able to withstand carrying drill rods and tools and field work and irregular hours; willing to do sampling logging and record keeping and safety and environmental handling and to accept a schedule driven by the project and weather.
Needs caution: if you expect this job to be indoors or to involve only pressing buttons and watching gauges, or you are unwilling to wear protective equipment and follow edge, electrical, hoisting, rotating part, high-pressure line, dust, noise, and wellhead safety requirements (drilling without a stable site or warning barriers, touching rotating parts and high-pressure lines without protective gear, not adjusting drilling speed and air pressure according to the geotechnical conditions, not handling in-hole accidents and dropped tools per the procedures, not disposing of mud and waste oil and wastewater and spoil as required), or you find it hard to keep precision and patience under repetitive operations and long field hours and abnormal in-hole pressure, then the actual work experience usually does not match the expectation.
Low-risk verification: using the fictional task sheets, hole positions, strata, and drilling tool records provided on this page, complete a paper exercise that 'arranges the hole position, depth, diameter, coring or well completion, and drilling tool selection sequence according to the task — writes a paragraph on drilling speed and air pressure and down pressure and flushing according to the geotechnical conditions — and fills in one hole depth and position and verticality and sampling logging and anomaly and safety record', only to verify whether you are willing to check item by item according to the task and procedures and to record truthfully. The exercise uses fictional materials and does not involve real drilling rigs, in-hole operations, blasting, or wellhead equipment, and it does not constitute a geological or engineering or environmental or safety conclusion, nor is it equivalent to job training or a special operation or field work qualification.
Decision center: whether the task and site and geotechnical conditions and equipment can be turned into a drilling and well completion and record chain that the team leader and geology and inspection can all take up and verify.
The work is mainly in the field and at construction sites with frequent communication with the team: face-to-face discussions every day 75% (another 18% weekly or more), continuous contact with others 39% (another 33% most of the time), telephone every day 35% (another 39% weekly or more, 22% never), teamwork 'extremely important' 34% (another 12% very important, 27% important), decision freedom 'very large' 66% (another 21% some), precision or accuracy 'extremely important' 16% + 'very important' 50% + 'important' 25%, standing continuously or almost continuously 52% (another 23% more than half), exposure to hazardous equipment every day 71% (another 17% weekly or more), wearing common protective or safety equipment every day 84%, exposure to noise every day 65% (another 15% weekly or more), extreme heat or extreme cold every day 28% + weekly or more 39%, outdoor all kinds of weather every day 79%, whole-body vibration every day 42% + weekly or more 43%, repeating the same tasks 'extremely important' 18% (another 18% very important, 13% important), consequences of error 'extremely serious' 52% (another 15% very serious, 15% serious), competition 'no competition' 33% (another 30% moderate, 15% light), making decisions every day 44% (another 15% weekly or more, 12% monthly or more), and time pressure every day 20% (another 21% weekly or more).
Similar names do not mean the same duties: this page is O*NET-SOC 47-5023.00 Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas. Adjacent positions have different duties — rotary drill operators, oil and gas (47-5012.00) handle oil and gas well drilling operations; derrick operators (47-5011.00) handle derrick and drilling tool and wellhead equipment operation and well control; service unit operators (47-5013.00) handle oil and gas well service and workover equipment operation; pile driver operators (47-2072.00) handle pile driving and pile sinking; operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073.00) handle earthmoving, lifting, and paving construction machinery; construction laborers (47-2061.00) handle general site labor. This occupation is set on operating rotary, cable-tool, and pneumatic drills to extract groundwater and salt deposits, to collect core samples in mineral exploration or soil testing, and to serve blasting operations in mining or construction, including horizontal boring machine and earth boring machine operators. Geology and engineering design and blasting operations and well condition safety and environmental compliance and special operation qualifications are governed by the regulations and standards and competent authorities of the relevant jurisdiction and this project's requirements, are not inferred from the job title, and must not exceed authorization to issue geological or engineering or environmental or safety conclusions externally.
Inputs that must be verified: the task sheet and hole position and depth and diameter and coring or well completion requirements, site and access and water and power and working face and slope and underground pipeline and buried object conditions, the specifications and inspection and maintenance status of drilling rigs and tools and bits and rods, geotechnical and groundwater and strata information and known cavities and karst and contamination, mud or flushing and dust removal and waste residue and waste oil and wastewater disposal and environmental requirements, edge and electrical and hoisting and rotating part and high-pressure line safety conditions, and sampling logging and progress and safety and environmental record requirements. Things that must not be done: entering and positioning without verifying pipelines and buried objects and slopes and site bearing capacity, drilling without leveling and stabilizing outriggers and setting warning barriers, touching rotating parts and high-pressure lines and transmission parts without protective gear or without shutting down the machine, not selecting bits and adjusting drilling speed and air pressure and down pressure according to the geotechnical conditions, not handling in-hole accidents and dropped tools and stuck pipe and water inflow per the procedures, not disposing of mud and waste oil and wastewater and spoil as required, and concealing or delaying reports of in-hole anomalies and equipment hazards and safety and environmental problems.
The fit judgment should be made by combining whether you can stand and operate for long periods in the field and at construction sites under noise and dust and vibration and weather conditions, whether you can select drilling tools according to the task and geotechnical conditions and control drilling per the procedures and stay careful about hole depth and position and verticality, whether you can withstand carrying tools and field work and irregular hours, whether you can do sampling logging and record keeping and safety and environmental handling, and whether you are clear about your duties and authorization and geological and engineering and safety and environmental boundaries; it is not replaced by a self-assessment of being 'strong' or 'able to drive'; all of this must be confirmed in supervised field work and team observation.
All exercises on this page use fictional materials; real drilling operations and in-hole operations and blasting and wellhead and electrical and field work must be undertaken by organizations and personnel with the corresponding training and qualifications that follow the regulations and standards of the relevant jurisdiction and this project's requirements; individuals must not exceed authorization to issue geological, engineering, environmental, safety, or compliance conclusions externally, and this page does not constitute geological, engineering, environmental, safety, or legal advice.
Judgment two: whether the site and pipelines and buried objects and slopes are safe — confirming site bearing capacity and leveling and outrigger stability and overhead lines and underground pipelines and buried objects and slopes and edge conditions, rather than positioning without checking.
Judgment three: whether drilling tool and bit selection and drilling parameters follow the basis — selecting the rig, bits, and rods according to the geotechnical and strata conditions and controlling rotation speed and air pressure and down pressure and flushing, rather than drilling arbitrarily.
Judgment four: whether hole depth and position and verticality and cores and samples are in place — verifying the hole depth and position and verticality and taking cores and samples and logging and submitting them for testing as required, rather than recording carelessly.
Judgment five: whether well completion and well washing and pumping tests and records are held — installing the well casing and screen and gravel pack and sealing and washing the well and conducting pumping tests and disinfection per the design and recording them, rather than skipping operations.
Judgment six: whether safety and environmental protection and anomalies and handover are held — working per the edge and electrical and hoisting and rotating part and high-pressure line and dust and noise requirements and disposing of mud and waste oil and wastewater and spoil per the procedures and reporting and handing over per the system when in-hole anomalies or equipment hazards occur, rather than concealing or delaying.
U.S. O*NET feedback: face-to-face every day 75% / weekly but not daily 18%, continuous contact 39% / most of the time 33%, telephone every day 35% / weekly but not daily 39% / never 22%; accuracy extremely important 16% / very important 50% / important 25%, standing continuously 52% / more than half 23%, hazardous equipment every day 71% / weekly but not daily 17%, ordinary PPE every day 84%, noise every day 65% / weekly but not daily 15%, extreme heat and cold every day 28% / weekly but not daily 39%, all-weather outdoor every day 79%, whole-body vibration every day 42% / weekly but not daily 43%, error extremely serious 52% / very serious 15% / serious 15%, daily decisions 44%, daily time pressure 20%, no competition 33%. Weekly hours >40h 53% / 40h 47%, irregular 61% / regular 36%, which does not prove night shifts or continuous duty for every worker in China. The context is feedback, not an injury occurrence rate or personal risk.
The work of earth drillers, except oil and gas, can be divided into three connected but independent work surfaces. The first is task and site and positioning and preparation: study the hole position and depth and diameter and coring or well completion requirements from the task sheet and geological data, survey the site and access and water and power and working face and verify overhead lines and underground pipelines and buried objects and slopes and edge conditions, level and stabilize the site and position and level the truck-mounted or trailer-mounted rig and stabilize the outriggers and extend the mast, assemble and inspect the rig and tools and bits and rods and well completion equipment, and confirm the mud or flushing and dust removal and waste residue and waste oil and wastewater disposal plan and protective equipment and warning measures. The second is drilling and sampling and well completion: select bits and rods according to the geotechnical and strata conditions and operate to control and stabilize the machine and align the tools and start, stop, and adjust drilling, adjust air pressure and rotation speed and down pressure according to the rock or concrete type and add or remove rods and change bits, operate equipment to flush cuttings or blow out dust from the hole, verify the hole position and depth and verticality and align the drilling position, observe returns and changes in drilling speed and record the geological horizons and drilling progress by stratum, take cores and samples and check the cores and submit them for testing, drill for blasting or grouting or anchoring or foundations, and for well completion install the well casing and screen and filter material and sealing and install the pump and other in-well facilities and flush and wash and disinfect and conduct pumping tests, perform routine maintenance and upgrade equipment (replacing parts, hardfacing bits, lubricating machinery), and fish out dropped equipment. The third is records and safety and environmental protection and handover: record the geological horizons and drilling progress and samples and equipment maintenance and in-hole anomalies, dispose of mud and waste oil and wastewater and spoil per the procedures and restore the site, inspect the protection and warning and electrical and hoisting and rotating part and high-pressure line conditions, and hand over with the team leader and geology and inspection and the back office. All three work surfaces proceed within the task sheet and geological data and geotechnical conditions and drilling rig and tool and safety and environmental procedures.
Task and site and positioning and preparation
Study the task sheet and geological data to determine the hole position and depth and diameter and coring or well completion requirements → survey the site and pipelines and slopes and level and stabilize → position and level the rig and stabilize the outriggers and extend the mast → assemble and inspect the drilling tools and well completion equipment and disposal plan
Executable checklist of hole position and depth and diameter and drilling tool selection and site and safety key points, positioning and leveling and outrigger stabilization and warning and protection records, and drilling tool and bit and equipment inspection records
Drilling and sampling and well completion
Select bits and rods according to the geotechnical conditions → operate to stabilize and align and adjust drilling parameters → flush and blow out dust and verify hole depth and position and verticality → observe returns and record strata and take cores and samples for testing → install well casing and screen and sealing and wash the well and conduct pumping tests
Drilling and sampling logging records completed by task and geotechnical conditions, hole depth and position and verticality and strata records, well completion and well washing and pumping test and disinfection records, and equipment maintenance and in-hole anomaly handling records
Records and safety and environmental protection and handover
Record strata and progress and samples and equipment and anomalies → dispose of mud and waste oil and wastewater and spoil per the procedures and restore the site → inspect protection and warning and electrical and hoisting and rotating part conditions → report anomalies and hand over
Where are the boundaries between this page's occupation and adjacent positions such as oil and gas drilling and derrick and service units, pile drivers, construction equipment operators, and construction labor?
This table compares this page's occupation with adjacent positions item by item across seven items: core purpose, main objects and basis, core process, main outputs, responsible parties, collaboration and supervision, and conclusion boundaries: this page's occupation (O*NET-SOC 47-5023.00) is the earth drilling position that operates rotary, cable-tool, and pneumatic drills to extract groundwater and salt deposits, collect core samples in mineral exploration or soil testing, and serve mining or construction blasting operations (including horizontal boring machine and earth boring machine operators); rotary drill operators, oil and gas (47-5012.00) handle oil and gas well drilling operations and well control; derrick operators (47-5011.00) handle derrick and drilling tool and wellhead equipment operation; service unit operators (47-5013.00) handle oil and gas well service and workover equipment operation; pile driver operators (47-2072.00) handle pile driving and pile sinking; operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073.00) handle earthmoving, lifting, and paving construction machinery; construction laborers (47-2061.00) handle general site labor. When comparing, verify item by item against the position duties and task sheet and geotechnical conditions and drilling tools and standards and qualifications, do not interchange by job title, and do not read drilling duties as geological design determination authority, blasting operation authority, well condition safety permit authority, environmental compliance conclusion authority, or engineering acceptance authority.
Turn the task and site and geotechnical conditions and equipment into a borehole result that meets the hole position and depth and verticality and coring or well completion requirements: task and hole position clear, site and pipelines and slopes safe, drilling tools and parameters on a documented basis, sampling and well completion and records in place, and safety and environmental requirements held.
Core purposes of adjacent positions: oil and gas rotary drilling ensures the oil and gas well is drilled per the design and well control requirements; derrick operation ensures drilling tools and wellhead equipment and well control safety; service unit operation ensures oil and gas well service and workover operations; pile drivers ensure the pile foundation is formed per the design and pile sinking requirements; construction equipment operation ensures earthmoving and lifting and paving operations; construction labor ensures on-site auxiliary work.
The objects are the task sheet and hole position and depth and diameter and coring or well completion requirements, site and access and water and power and working face and slope and underground pipeline and buried objects, drilling rigs and tools and bits and rods and well completion equipment, geotechnical and groundwater and strata information, and sampling logging and safety and environmental records; the basis is the task sheet and geological data and geotechnical conditions and drilling rig and tool and safety and environmental procedures.
Objects and basis of adjacent positions: oil and gas wells and well control and drilling fluid (oil and gas drilling and well control procedures); derricks and drilling tools and wellhead equipment (well control and equipment procedures); oil and gas well service and workover equipment (workover procedures); piles and pile sinking and foundations (pile foundation codes); earthmoving and lifting and paving machinery (construction machinery operation and safety procedures); on-site auxiliary work (labor and safety procedures).
Task and site and positioning and preparation → drilling and sampling and well completion (selection and drilling and flushing and verification and coring and casing installation and well washing) → records and safety and environmental protection and handover and anomaly reporting.
Processes of adjacent positions: drilling fluid and well control and casing running and cementing (oil and gas rotary drilling); derrick and drilling tool and wellhead operations (derrick operation); equipment positioning and service work (service unit); positioning and pile sinking and pile body treatment (pile driver); earthmoving and excavation and lifting and paving (construction machinery); on-site carrying and cleaning and assistance (construction labor).
Drilling and sampling logging records completed by task and geotechnical conditions, hole depth and position and verticality and strata records, well completion and well washing and pumping test and disinfection records, equipment maintenance and in-hole anomaly handling records, and safety and environmental and handover records.
Outputs of adjacent positions: oil and gas wellbore and well control and cementing records; derrick and drilling tool and wellhead equipment operation and inspection records; service and workover operation records; pile position and pile sinking and pile body records; earthmoving and lifting and paving operation and machinery inspection records; on-site labor and cleaning records.
This occupation bears execution responsibility for selecting drilling tools and controlling drilling according to the task and geotechnical conditions and for coring and sampling and casing installation and well completion and records; responsibility for geology and engineering design and blasting operations and well condition safety and environmental acceptance and acceptance is borne by the owner and design unit and construction unit and competent authorities and personnel with the corresponding qualifications according to regulations and standards.
Responsibilities of adjacent positions: oil and gas well drilling and well control are borne by the oil and gas drilling contractor; derrick and wellhead equipment operation is borne by the derrick contractor; oil and gas well service and workover are borne by the service contractor; pile foundations are borne by the pile foundation construction unit; earthmoving and lifting and paving are borne by the construction machinery contractor; on-site assistance is borne by the labor provider.
Collaboration and supervision
Collaborate with the team leader and geology and surveying and inspection and the back office and equipment repair and safety and environmental personnel, and adjust priorities according to the task and hole depth and schedule and sampling milestones; immediately report in-hole anomalies and equipment hazards and safety and environmental problems and matters beyond authorization.
Collaboration of adjacent positions: oil and gas drilling interfaces with cementing and mud logging and well control; derricks interface with the drill floor and wellhead equipment; workover interfaces with service equipment; pile foundations interface with civil works and testing; construction machinery interfaces with earthworks and structures; labor interfaces with the professional teams.
Do not enter and position without verifying pipelines and buried objects and slopes and site bearing capacity, do not drill without leveling and stabilizing outriggers and setting warning barriers, do not touch rotating parts and high-pressure lines and transmission parts without protective gear or without shutting down the machine, do not select bits and adjust parameters without regard to the geotechnical conditions, do not fail to handle in-hole accidents and dropped tools and stuck pipe and water inflow per the procedures, do not fail to dispose of mud and waste oil and wastewater and spoil as required, do not conceal or delay reporting in-hole anomalies and equipment hazards and safety and environmental problems, and do not issue geological or engineering or environmental or safety or compliance conclusions externally beyond authorization.
The boundaries of adjacent positions are determined by their respective task sheets and geological data and standards and qualifications and the regulations of the relevant jurisdiction; similar job titles do not mean the duties are interchangeable.
In this job, which judgments are most prone to error, and how should they be verified?
Editorial risk verification: errors in hole position/pipelines, equipment positioning, drilling tool parameters, and sampling and well completion and records may lead to rework, personal injury, or distorted results; no occurrence rate was obtained, so the four 'common errors' cannot be ranked. Verify against the actual design/site and procedures, and do not rely on verbal memory.
Are the task sheet and geological data and hole position and depth and diameter and coring or well completion requirements and site and pipeline conditions verified item by item rather than starting to drill from impression?
Are the site and bearing capacity and outrigger stability and overhead lines and underground pipelines and buried objects and slopes and edges and hoisting and electrical conditions confirmed rather than drilling without checking?
Are the rig and bit and rod selection and rotation speed and air pressure and down pressure and flushing determined by the geotechnical and strata conditions rather than drilling arbitrarily?
Are the hole depth and position and verticality and core and sample logging and submission for testing in place and verifiable rather than recorded carelessly?
Order No. 35 as amended by Order No. 78 applies to geological exploration of metal and non-metal minerals and does not apply to exploration in producing mines; Article 7 requires a safety permit for construction units undertaking drilling or exploration by excavation within that scope, Article 8 requires written reports, Article 9 covers systems, and Articles 18/19 cover protection, rescue, and emergency response. Article 11 requires special personnel to receive dedicated training, assessment, and the corresponding certificate; Article 12 requires personnel undertaking exploration by excavation to receive at least 72h initially and 20h of annual retraining, and this is not extended to all surface drillers. Article 15 requires a special safety chapter and review for the design of exploration by excavation, and this is not extended to general water wells or all earth boring. The 2017 geological exploration qualification approval has been cancelled, and a 2025 public reply from the Ministry of Natural Resources confirms that solid mineral exploration units and personnel have no such access threshold; the old 'qualification certificate' can no longer be listed as a current general condition, and this does not exempt safety permits or special operation certification. The current reporting materials, competent authorities, and local processing are verified separately. AQ2004-2005 platform current/mandatory; clause 1 covers Chinese geological exploration (excluding oil and gas geological exploration) and explicitly does not apply to using the technology in other industries, so the U.S. code scope is not fully mapped onto the standard scope. Actually read: 4.5 requires geological exploration units to provide field survival and self- and mutual-rescue skills training at least once every two years for field personnel; the project team provides safety education before departure for fieldwork each year or before changing regions, 4.7 protective equipment, 4.8 health examinations; 10.1/10.2 rig foundation and drill frame installation and handling, 10.4.1 equipment protection inspection before spudding, 10.4.2 prohibition of cleaning, disassembling, or repairing and of stepping over drive belts while rotating, 10.4.3 shutting down before repairing high-pressure hoses; 10.5.2 in-hole accidents are handled by the rig team leader or an experienced technician under dedicated command while others evacuate, and 10.7.8 electrical repair requires disconnecting the power and posting a warning tag or assigning an attendant. Specific designs/equipment/new versions of cited standards are verified separately, and this page is not an operating manual.
Are the sampling and logging and submission for testing coordination with geology and surveying and inspection and the hole depth and position verification and well completion acceptance milestones completed by task and verifiable?
Record hole position and depth and verticality and strata and sampling and well completion and equipment maintenance data according to the task and this project's systems and complete handover; records should agree with sampling and progress and safety materials to facilitate verification; in-hole anomalies and dropped tools and stuck pipe and water inflow are handled per the procedures with records kept.
Articles 44/45 of the Chinese Work Safety Law require the unit to inform workers of hazards and provide compliant PPE, and Article 54 allows refusal of illegal commands or forced risk-taking; Article 55 allows stopping or taking necessary emergency measures and then evacuating when personal danger is immediate, without requiring registration, reporting, or approval beforehand; Articles 57/58 require following procedures, correct PPE, and training, and Article 59 requires hazards to be reported immediately to on-site safety management or the unit head. Suspension/restart of ordinary quality problems and the professional signing position must be verified against the real project systems; these were not obtained this round, and no uniform final authority can be granted to the team leader, geologist, repair, or inspection.
Common inputs: the task sheet and geological data and hole position and depth and diameter and coring or well completion requirements, site and access and water and power and working face and slope and underground pipeline and buried object conditions, the specifications and inspection and maintenance status of drilling rigs and tools and bits and rods and well completion equipment, geotechnical and groundwater and strata information, mud or flushing and dust removal and waste residue and waste oil and wastewater disposal and environmental requirements, and sampling logging and progress and safety and environmental record requirements.
Core outputs: drilling and sampling logging records completed by task and geotechnical conditions, hole depth and position and verticality and strata records, well completion and well washing and pumping test and disinfection records, equipment maintenance and in-hole anomaly handling records, and safety and environmental and handover records.
Typical flow: task and site and positioning and preparation — drilling and sampling and well completion — records and safety and environmental protection and handover and anomaly reporting.
Common collaborators: the team leader and technical lead, geology and surveying and inspection personnel, equipment repair and safety and environmental personnel, and back-office dispatch and the owner and competent authorities.
Common tools and objects: rotary, cable-tool, and pneumatic drilling rigs and air compressors and mud pumps, bits and drill rods and casing and core barrels and fishing tools, well completion equipment (well casing and screen and filter material and water pumps), measuring and hole deviation and hole depth detection instruments, hoisting and carrying tools and protection and dust and noise control supplies, and sample containers and logging and recording tools.
Work to the applicable design and procedures and report; the Chinese unit and its principal person in charge bear statutory safety responsibility, and this page's division of labor does not replace actual acceptance/restart authority. Articles 44/45 of the Chinese Work Safety Law require the unit to inform workers of hazards and provide compliant PPE, and Article 54 allows refusal of illegal commands or forced risk-taking; Article 55 allows stopping or taking necessary emergency measures and then evacuating when personal danger is immediate, without requiring registration, reporting, or approval beforehand; Articles 57/58 require following procedures, correct PPE, and training, and Article 59 requires hazards to be reported immediately to on-site safety management or the unit head. Suspension/restart of ordinary quality problems and the professional signing position must be verified against the real project systems; these were not obtained this round, and no uniform final authority can be granted to the team leader, geologist, repair, or inspection.
U.S. O*NET feedback: face-to-face every day 75% / weekly but not daily 18%, continuous contact 39% / most of the time 33%, telephone every day 35% / weekly but not daily 39% / never 22%; accuracy extremely important 16% / very important 50% / important 25%, standing continuously 52% / more than half 23%, hazardous equipment every day 71% / weekly but not daily 17%, ordinary PPE every day 84%, noise every day 65% / weekly but not daily 15%, extreme heat and cold every day 28% / weekly but not daily 39%, all-weather outdoor every day 79%, whole-body vibration every day 42% / weekly but not daily 43%, error extremely serious 52% / very serious 15% / serious 15%, daily decisions 44%, daily time pressure 20%, no competition 33%. Weekly hours >40h 53% / 40h 47%, irregular 61% / regular 36%, which does not prove night shifts or continuous duty for every worker in China. The context is feedback, not an injury occurrence rate or personal risk.
Field and construction sites and borehole work faces; including site survey and positioning and drilling and sampling and well completion casing installation and well washing and equipment maintenance positions, in a work environment that liaises with the team leader and geology and surveying and inspection and safety and environmental protection.
Rotary, cable-tool, and pneumatic drilling rigs and air compressors and mud pumps, bits and drill rods and casing and core barrels and fishing tools, well completion equipment (well casing and screen and filter material and water pumps), measuring and hole deviation and hole depth detection instruments, hoisting and carrying tools and protection and dust and noise control supplies, and sample containers and logging and recording tools.
Divided by hole position and operation and shift: task and site and positioning and preparation, drilling and sampling and well completion, and records and safety and environmental protection and handover; coordinated by the team leader or technical lead.
U.S. irregular 61% / regular 36%, >40h 53% / 40h 47%, which cannot be extrapolated to continuous duty, on-site residence, or night shifts for all of China; real positions are verified separately.
Work closely with the team leader and geology and surveying and inspection and the back office and equipment repair and safety and environmental personnel, coordinating through face-to-face contact and records and logs and handover forms.
Review methods include positioning and leveling and outrigger and warning and protection inspection, spot checks of hole depth and position and verticality and strata and sampling logs, verification of well completion and well washing and pumping tests and equipment maintenance, and anomaly reporting tracking and handover; in-hole anomalies and equipment hazards and safety and environmental problems are reported as required.
Quality looks at whether the task and hole position and pipelines are verified clearly, whether the site and outriggers and hoisting and edges are safe, whether the drilling tools and parameters follow the geotechnical conditions, whether sampling and well completion and records are in place, and whether safety and environmental protection and handover are verifiable.
U.S. exact occupation 47-5023: 2025 employment 19500 → 2035 projected 20200, a BLS net increase of about 700 and precise growth of 3.6%; the O*NET national trend rounds to 4%, with the summary category Average3—4%. 2025—2035 annual average 1400 openings include growth and replacement, not a ten-year total, not 1400 net annual additions, and not real-time hiring. The BLS self-employment proportion is '—', not filled in as 0, and it is not inferred that all workers are employed; projections are not Chinese demand, individual hiring, or AI causality. The U.S. O*NET new-hire education feedback is high school/equivalent 73%, less than high school 15%, and postsecondary certificate 12%; Job Zone1—2/SVP<6 is a group preparation description with several days to 1 year of training, not a legal threshold for this occupation or that everyone learns it in a few weeks. BLS2025 exact line typically requires high school, less than 5 years of related experience, and long-term on-the-job training; the two sets of indicators differ, so the group label cannot be used to claim that zero experience is always hired or that short training is universal. Interest R100/C45/I44/E12/S4/A2; its 29 tasks are 14Core/14Supp/1New with no importance given.
Wages use the BLS 2025 wage data definition: median 60,190 USD per year (28.94 USD per hour); annual percentiles 44,460 / 49,900 / 60,190 / 72,450 / 83,800 USD; hourly percentiles 21.37 / 23.99 / 28.94 / 34.83 / 40.29 USD.
The occupation can occur in water supply, mineral exploration sampling, and foundation boring scenarios, but no allowance/pay/position samples for this occupation were obtained; the task description is not used to assert that hourly pay plus allowances is universal.
Order No. 35 as amended by Order No. 78 applies to geological exploration of metal and non-metal minerals and does not apply to exploration in producing mines; Article 7 requires a safety permit for construction units undertaking drilling or exploration by excavation within that scope, Article 8 requires written reports, Article 9 covers systems, and Articles 18/19 cover protection, rescue, and emergency response. Article 11 requires special personnel to receive dedicated training, assessment, and the corresponding certificate; Article 12 requires personnel undertaking exploration by excavation to receive at least 72h initially and 20h of annual retraining, and this is not extended to all surface drillers. Article 15 requires a special safety chapter and review for the design of exploration by excavation, and this is not extended to general water wells or all earth boring. The 2017 geological exploration qualification approval has been cancelled, and a 2025 public reply from the Ministry of Natural Resources confirms that solid mineral exploration units and personnel have no such access threshold; the old 'qualification certificate' can no longer be listed as a current general condition, and this does not exempt safety permits or special operation certification. The current reporting materials, competent authorities, and local processing are verified separately. AQ2004-2005 platform current/mandatory; clause 1 covers Chinese geological exploration (excluding oil and gas geological exploration) and explicitly does not apply to using the technology in other industries, so the U.S. code scope is not fully mapped onto the standard scope. Actually read: 4.5 requires geological exploration units to provide field survival and self- and mutual-rescue skills training at least once every two years for field personnel; the project team provides safety education before departure for fieldwork each year or before changing regions, 4.7 protective equipment, 4.8 health examinations; 10.1/10.2 rig foundation and drill frame installation and handling, 10.4.1 equipment protection inspection before spudding, 10.4.2 prohibition of cleaning, disassembling, or repairing and of stepping over drive belts while rotating, 10.4.3 shutting down before repairing high-pressure hoses; 10.5.2 in-hole accidents are handled by the rig team leader or an experienced technician under dedicated command while others evacuate, and 10.7.8 electrical repair requires disconnecting the power and posting a warning tag or assigning an attendant. Specific designs/equipment/new versions of cited standards are verified separately, and this page is not an operating manual. Articles 44/45 of the Chinese Work Safety Law require the unit to inform workers of hazards and provide compliant PPE, and Article 54 allows refusal of illegal commands or forced risk-taking; Article 55 allows stopping or taking necessary emergency measures and then evacuating when personal danger is immediate, without requiring registration, reporting, or approval beforehand; Articles 57/58 require following procedures, correct PPE, and training, and Article 59 requires hazards to be reported immediately to on-site safety management or the unit head. Suspension/restart of ordinary quality problems and the professional signing position must be verified against the real project systems; these were not obtained this round, and no uniform final authority can be granted to the team leader, geologist, repair, or inspection.
This page does not use actors union or film industry definitions; sources and usage boundaries are in the source register.
This page corresponds exactly to U.S. O*NET 47-5023.00 Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas: operating various rigs such as rotary, cable-tool, and pneumatic drills to extract groundwater and salt deposits, collect core samples in mineral exploration or soil testing, and facilitate the use of explosives in mining or construction; it includes horizontal boring machine and earth boring machine operators. The work includes studying the task sheet and geological data to determine the hole position and depth and diameter and coring or well completion requirements, surveying the site and pipelines and slopes and positioning and leveling and stabilizing outriggers, selecting bits and rods and controlling rotation speed and air pressure and down pressure and flushing according to the geotechnical conditions, verifying hole depth and position and verticality and observing returns and recording strata, coring and sampling and logging and submitting for testing, installing well casing and screen and filter material and sealing and installing pumps and washing and disinfecting and conducting pumping tests, drilling for blasting and grouting and anchoring and foundations, routine maintenance and fishing out dropped equipment, disposing of mud and waste oil and wastewater and spoil per the procedures and restoring the site, and recording and anomaly reporting and handover; it is a drilling operation position in mining and construction and geological exploration and water conservancy and geotechnical engineering, excluding adjacent positions such as oil and gas rotary drilling and derrick and service unit operation and pile drivers and construction machinery operation and construction labor; it does not provide geological design determination, blasting operations, well condition safety permits, environmental compliance, or engineering acceptance opinions.
The selection basis can follow three lines: if you want to operate a rig in the field and at construction sites according to the task to extract groundwater and salt or to take cores and samples in exploration and soil testing, this page's occupation is the closest fit; if you want to do oil and gas drilling or derrick or service unit work, rotary drill operator or derrick operator or service unit operator are adjacent paths (all oil and gas well operations, requiring separate verification of well control and hydrogen sulfide and firefighting requirements); if you want to do pile foundations or earthmoving and lifting or on-site assistance, pile driver operator or construction equipment operator or construction laborer is another path. When transferring positions, what needs to be filled in is equipment and process and well control and safety and qualification requirements, not just proficiency.
Boundaries and sources: the differences listed in this table are based on the O*NET occupation profiles and work context data, and on the names and verified key points of the mainland China Interim Provisions on the Supervision and Administration of Work Safety in Geological Exploration of Metal and Non-metal Mineral Resources (promulgated by the State Administration of Work Safety Order No. 35 and amended by Order No. 78) and the Safety Code for Geological Exploration (AQ 2004) and the Work Safety Law of the People's Republic of China (the rest are cited by regulation and standard name and general requirements, and article numbers were not verified one by one this round). The equipment and process and qualification requirements of adjacent positions cannot substitute for one another; this page does not infer income levels or hiring conditions from job titles, nor does it read drilling duties as geological design determination authority, blasting operation authority, well condition safety permit authority, environmental compliance conclusion authority, or engineering acceptance authority.
Rotary drill operators, oil and gas (47-5012.00)
Operate oil and gas rotary drilling rigs according to the design and well control requirements and manage drilling fluid and casing running and cementing, responsible for oil and gas well drilling and well control safety.
The object and procedures differ: rotary drill operators, oil and gas focus on oil and gas wells and drilling fluid and well control and cementing, following oil and gas drilling and well control procedures and subject to special requirements for well control and hydrogen sulfide and firefighting; this page's occupation focuses on water extraction and salt deposits and exploration coring and construction blasting assistance, following the task sheet and geotechnical conditions and safety and environmental procedures. The equipment is similar but the object and well control and qualification requirements differ and cannot be interchanged by name.
If you want to do oil and gas well drilling and well control, you can choose the rotary drill operator direction and check the well control and special training requirements; if you want to do water extraction and exploration coring and earth boring, this page's occupation is the closest fit.
Derrick operators, oil and gas (47-5011.00)
Operate the derrick and drilling tools and wellhead equipment on the drill floor and support well control operations, responsible for wellhead and drilling tool operation and well control coordination safety.
The position and authorization differ: derrick operators handle derrick and drilling tool and wellhead equipment operation on the drilling platform and are subject to well control and platform rules; this page's occupation handles rig positioning and drilling and sampling and well completion in the field and at construction sites, with a different work object and operating environment. Both belong to the drilling chain but the position duties and authorization differ.
If you want to do platform derrick and wellhead work, you can choose the derrick operator direction and check the platform and well control requirements; if you want to do field water extraction and exploration drilling, this page's occupation is more suitable.
Service unit operators, oil and gas (47-5013.00)
The object and deliverable differ: service and workover unit operators focus on oil and gas well service and workover equipment and wellbore operations and complete running and pulling and circulation and cementing and similar operations; this page's occupation focuses on drilling tool selection and drilling and coring and sampling and casing installation and well completion and well washing, with different equipment and processes and wellbore conditions.
If you want to do oil and gas well service and workover, you can choose the service unit operator direction and check the corresponding qualifications; if you want to do water extraction and exploration drilling and well completion, this page's occupation is the closest fit.
Pile driver operators (47-2072.00)
The object and process differ: pile driver operators focus on piles and pile sinking and foundations, following pile foundation codes and driving piles into place according to the foundation design; this page's occupation focuses on drilling and coring and well completion according to the task sheet and geotechnical conditions, with different hole position and depth and diameter and coring or well completion requirements.
If you want to do pile foundations and pile sinking, you can choose the pile driver operator direction; if you want to do water wells and exploration and blasting assistance drilling, this page's occupation is more suitable.
Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073.00)
The object and process differ: construction equipment operators focus on earthmoving and excavation and lifting and paving machinery operations; this page's occupation focuses on the rig and drilling tools and drilling and well completion processes, with different equipment and outputs and acceptance basis.
If you want to do earthmoving and lifting and paving, you can choose the construction equipment operator direction; if you want to do drilling and well completion, this page's occupation is the closest fit.
Construction laborers (47-2061.00)
The duties and process differ: construction laborers focus on on-site carrying and cleaning and auxiliary work and do not take on rig operation and sampling and well completion duties; this page's occupation focuses on rig operation and drilling and coring and sampling and well completion and requires separate verification of special operation and safety qualification requirements.
If you want to do general on-site labor, you can choose the construction laborer direction; if you want to operate a rig and complete drilling and well completion, this page's occupation is more suitable.
Adjacent occupation comparison: six directions easily confused
The six rows below compare this page's occupation with adjacent positions item by item by core work and outputs, key differences, and selection basis. The comparison follows the actual duties of the position and the task sheet and geotechnical conditions and standard and qualification documents, does not infer from job titles, and does not read drilling duties as geological design determination authority, blasting operation authority, well condition safety permit authority, environmental compliance conclusion authority, or engineering acceptance authority.
Conclusion: what makes this page's occupation irreplaceable is operating a rig in the field and at construction sites according to the task to complete drilling and coring and sampling and well completion and to record and handle safety and environmental matters; positions with similar names or equipment differ in object, procedures, and authorization, and these three points should be verified first in cross-position comparisons.
Comparison basis: O*NET occupation profiles and work context data, and the names and verified key points of the mainland China Interim Provisions on the Supervision and Administration of Work Safety in Geological Exploration of Metal and Non-metal Mineral Resources (promulgated by the State Administration of Work Safety Order No. 35 and amended by Order No. 78) and the Safety Code for Geological Exploration (AQ 2004) and the Work Safety Law of the People's Republic of China; source links are used within their respective scopes of application.
To compare this page's occupation further with adjacent positions, first write one sentence for each of the columns 'object — basis and authorization — outputs and responsibility', then look back at this table to see whether they agree.
Adoption depends on the enterprise and project systems and authorization rules, data accuracy and on-site geotechnical and groundwater and in-hole conditions, and whether verification and validation have been completed, especially where hole position and depth and verticality and well completion and safety and environmental protection are involved.
Editorial candidates: verifying task/hole position data extraction, parameter table checking, and sampling and maintenance record organization; real data and an approved plan and manual on-site verification are required. Deployment/efficiency/missed-entry reduction/substitution were not verified; measurement/conventional calculation/mechanical control are not necessarily GenAI. O*NET lists 4 categories of software: GPS, Office, Excel, Word; the Hot3 items show no proportions of the denominator of all unique U.S. occupation postings in 2025 and are not filled in as 0. ILO exposure is not adoption or layoffs, and NIST governance is not a drilling compliance permit.
Editorial trial candidate: whether drilling tool selection, parameters, and hole depth and verticality information organization can obtain AI assistance must go through safety authorization and manual on-site verification; no deployment or effect samples were obtained this round. Geotechnical and strata judgment and parameter adjustment follow the actual conditions and position authority, and O*NET tasks or conventional software skills are not treated as evidence of GenAI capability.
Editorial candidates: verifying task/hole position data extraction, parameter table checking, and sampling and maintenance record organization; real data and an approved plan and manual on-site verification are required. Deployment/efficiency/missed-entry reduction/substitution were not verified; measurement/conventional calculation/mechanical control are not necessarily GenAI. O*NET lists 4 categories of software: GPS, Office, Excel, Word; the Hot3 items show no proportions of the denominator of all unique U.S. occupation postings in 2025 and are not filled in as 0. ILO exposure is not adoption or layoffs, and NIST governance is not a drilling compliance permit.
Editorial judgment: on-site geotechnical and equipment/in-hole conditions require measurement and handling; fully automatic system capability was not verified, and technical impossibility is not asserted from the task description.
Geological/hole position/project materials are not necessarily personal or legally sensitive information; identifiable personal data is verified against the actual content under PIPL, and sensitive information under Article 28 such as biometrics/financial accounts/location tracking must be verified separately. Trade secrets and ownership of geological materials are verified against the contract and applicable rules; the upload recipient, purpose/training use, storage, and permissions were not obtained this round, and the editorial suggestion is to verify before use.
AI output cannot replace position safety responsibility or authorization. Actual operations, quality confirmation, and anomaly handling must be implemented according to the project procedures, design requirements, and position division of labor; specific signing, acceptance, and restart authority were not obtained and are not assigned by occupation name. Hazards found should be reported immediately to the on-site safety management personnel or the unit head; emergency avoidance is not conditional on prior approval or completing records.
Studies such as those of the International Labour Organization separate 'task exposure' from 'actual adoption and job gains and losses'; this page has no adoption rate, layoff rate, or causal employment evidence for this occupation, and these figures remain unknown and must be verified with specific enterprises and projects.
Boundaries of AI and measurement and logging tools in earth drilling
Editorial candidates: verifying task/hole position data extraction, parameter table checking, and sampling and maintenance record organization; real data and an approved plan and manual on-site verification are required. Deployment/efficiency/missed-entry reduction/substitution were not verified; measurement/conventional calculation/mechanical control are not necessarily GenAI. O*NET lists 4 categories of software: GPS, Office, Excel, Word; the Hot3 items show no proportions of the denominator of all unique U.S. occupation postings in 2025 and are not filled in as 0. ILO exposure is not adoption or layoffs, and NIST governance is not a drilling compliance permit.
The following sources are used only to explain the statistical definitions of tasks and work context for this occupation and do not provide automation rates, substitution probabilities, or timelines for this occupation.
ILO task exposure study
The exposure indicator is not adoption or layoffs for this occupation.
Employed straight-time wages are not AI evidence.
NIST risk governance
The governance method is not a drilling permit.
The governance method is not a drilling permit.
Tasks/employment are not real enterprise deployment.
Tasks/employment are not real enterprise deployment.
Editorial note for this item
The editorial content is not proof of external facts.
The editorial content is not proof of external facts.
A substitution date cannot be derived from task exposure; geotechnical and strata judgment, on-site verification of hole position and depth and verticality, handling of in-hole anomalies and dropped tools and stuck pipe, and safety and environmental handling and drilling responsibility remain with people.
Editorial candidates: verifying task/hole position data extraction, parameter table checking, and sampling and maintenance record organization; real data and an approved plan and manual on-site verification are required. Deployment/efficiency/missed-entry reduction/substitution were not verified; measurement/conventional calculation/mechanical control are not necessarily GenAI. O*NET lists 4 categories of software: GPS, Office, Excel, Word; the Hot3 items show no proportions of the denominator of all unique U.S. occupation postings in 2025 and are not filled in as 0. ILO exposure is not adoption or layoffs, and NIST governance is not a drilling compliance permit.
What cannot be automatically authorized?
Geotechnical and strata judgment, on-site adjustment of hole position and depth and verticality, handling of in-hole anomalies and dropped tools and stuck pipe and water inflow, and well completion and well washing and pumping tests and safety and environmental handling.
Who is responsible for errors in tool output?
Can AI directly decide drilling tool selection or judge whether in-hole anomaly handling is adequate?
No; drilling tool selection and drilling parameters and in-hole anomaly handling are determined by the geotechnical conditions and equipment status and procedures and manual inspection.
How should task sheet and geological and project data be protected?
Geological/hole position/project materials are not necessarily personal or legally sensitive information; identifiable personal data is verified against the actual content under PIPL, and sensitive information under Article 28 such as biometrics/financial accounts/location tracking must be verified separately. Trade secrets and ownership of geological materials are verified against the contract and applicable rules; the upload recipient, purpose/training use, storage, and permissions were not obtained this round, and the editorial suggestion is to verify before use.
How can you verify whether a tool is really useful?
Editorial verification suggestion: within the limits allowed by safety and project authorization, agree in advance on indicators such as accuracy, record completeness, and time, and use manual on-site verification as the baseline; comparisons must account for differences in equipment, strata, personnel, and construction plans, and a simple before-and-after comparison cannot prove a causal AI effect. Do not change safety parameters or induce accidents to test effects, and occupational adoption/efficiency was not verified this round.
Used only under the O*NET 47-5023.00 task and work context definition.
International organization research; the existing ILO homepage is not the research text.
Used only to explain the AI boundaries on this page and does not represent adoption rates or substitution conclusions.
OOH occupation lookup navigation, not an actors union and not the original safety text for this occupation.
OOH occupation lookup navigation, not an actors union and not the original safety text for this occupation.
OEWS wage navigation, not film or AI adoption statistics.
OEWS wage navigation, not film or AI adoption statistics.
The O*NET certification directory is for lookup and is not a statutory access list for this occupation.
The O*NET certification directory is for lookup and is not a statutory access list for this occupation.
U.S. 47-5023 2025 annual 10/25/50/75/90 percentiles 44460/49900/60190/72450/83800 USD; hourly 21.37/23.99/28.94/34.83/40.29. OEWS employed pre-tax straight-time wages exclude self-employment, include commissions/production bonuses, and exclude overtime premiums; all field/night shift/temperature allowances cannot be excluded across the board, and specific wage items are verified by definition. Percentiles are not starting pay/seniority levels/personal caps. U.S. exact occupation 47-5023: 2025 employment 19500 → 2035 projected 20200, a BLS net increase of about 700 and precise growth of 3.6%; the O*NET national trend rounds to 4%, with the summary category Average3—4%. 2025—2035 annual average 1400 openings include growth and replacement, not a ten-year total, not 1400 net annual additions, and not real-time hiring. The BLS self-employment proportion is '—', not filled in as 0, and it is not inferred that all workers are employed; projections are not Chinese demand, individual hiring, or AI causality.
Used only under the original AI risk management definition and does not constitute a compliance requirements checklist.
Study the task sheet and geological data to determine the hole position and depth and diameter and coring or well completion requirements and survey the site and pipelines and slopes and position and level
Editorial candidate, adoption/efficiency not verified: can assist with reading the task sheet and geological data and hole position and depth and organizing site and pipeline data
Editorial suggestion: verify the task sheet, hole position parameters, pipeline data, and site conditions; specific design confirmation and construction authorization follow the project systems and cannot be replaced by an AI draft.
Select bits and rods according to the geotechnical and strata conditions and control rotation speed and air pressure and down pressure and flushing and verify hole depth and verticality
Editorial candidate, adoption/efficiency not verified: can assist with drilling tool selection and drilling parameter and hole depth and verticality calculation
Operators must verify parameters and hole depth against the geotechnical conditions, equipment procedures, and on-site feedback; design changes and handling beyond position authority cannot be decided on AI suggestions alone.
Observe returns and record strata and take cores and samples and log and submit for testing
Editorial candidate, adoption/efficiency not verified: can assist with core and sample logging and strata data organization and submission records
Editorial suggestion: verify sample positions, numbering, and original strata records; sample analysis, logging conclusions, and signing authority are confirmed by the project division of labor, and drilling operation capability is not equated with geological judgment qualifications.
Install well casing and screen and filter material and sealing and install pumps and wash and disinfect and conduct pumping tests
Editorial candidate, adoption/efficiency not verified: can assist with well completion material and process and test data records
Well completion, well washing, and pumping tests must be carried out according to the applicable design and procedures; the specific inspection personnel, judgment standards, and acceptance authority were not obtained and cannot be replaced by AI output or the operator's own confirmation.
Equipment maintenance and in-hole handling
Perform routine maintenance and upgrade equipment and handle stuck pipe and buried pipe and fishing out dropped equipment and water inflow
Editorial candidate, adoption/efficiency not verified: can assist with equipment maintenance ledgers and fault and handling record summarization
In applicable AQ2004 geological exploration projects, in-hole accident handling is performed by the rig team leader or an experienced technician under dedicated command while other personnel evacuate; equipment repair follows shutdown, power disconnection, and position procedures. AI suggestions cannot grant a newcomer authority to handle accidents, and this is not extended to a uniform procedure for all water wells or construction projects.
Inspect edges and electrical and hoisting and rotating parts and high-pressure lines per the procedures and dispose of mud and waste oil and wastewater and spoil and restore the site
Editorial candidate, adoption/efficiency not verified: can assist with inspection items and handling and record archiving
Accident hazards or unsafe factors found should be reported immediately to the on-site safety management personnel or the unit head; in emergencies that directly endanger personal safety, work may be stopped or possible emergency measures taken and then evacuation carried out. Environmental handling and restoration standards must be verified against the applicable project requirements, and AI does not replace compliance judgment.
Records and collaboration and handover
Record strata and progress and samples and equipment and in-hole anomalies and hand over with the team leader and geology and inspection and the back office
Editorial candidate, adoption/efficiency not verified: can assist with record summarization and handover checklist organization
Editorial suggestion: verify original records, sample numbers, and handover parties item by item; hazards found should be reported immediately to the on-site safety management personnel or the unit head, and reporting cannot wait for the team leader to complete paperwork.
Editorial candidate, adoption not verified: data and record and parameter calculation automation
Geotechnical and strata and in-hole anomaly judgment
Editorial candidate, adoption not verified: inspection and records and prompts
Edges and electrical and hoisting and rotating parts and in-hole accident handling
Editorial candidate, adoption not verified: organizing task sheet and geological and project data
Data minimum necessity and safety and record keeping
Verify the task sheet and geological data and hole position and depth and diameter and site and pipelines and drilling tools and equipment and safety and environmental conditions.
Use tool assistance only within systems approved by the enterprise and project and the scope of authorization.
The operator or team leader or technical lead or geological personnel reviews hole position and drilling tool selection and parameters and sampling and well completion and safety-related links.
Articles 44/45 of the Chinese Work Safety Law require the unit to inform workers of hazards and provide compliant PPE, and Article 54 allows refusal of illegal commands or forced risk-taking; Article 55 allows stopping or taking necessary emergency measures and then evacuating when personal danger is immediate, without requiring registration, reporting, or approval beforehand; Articles 57/58 require following procedures, correct PPE, and training, and Article 59 requires hazards to be reported immediately to on-site safety management or the unit head. Suspension/restart of ordinary quality problems and the professional signing position must be verified against the real project systems; these were not obtained this round, and no uniform final authority can be granted to the team leader, geologist, repair, or inspection.
Responsibility for drilling and sampling and well completion and well washing and records and anomaly reporting is recorded by the operators together with the team and technical lead.
Task and hole position and pipeline errors
Will lead to drilling into underground pipelines and hole position deviation and rework and material and schedule waste.
Follow the task sheet and geological data and site measurement and pipeline data and keep records.
Site and outrigger and hoisting defects
Will lead to equipment overturning and personal injury and work accidents.
Before positioning, confirm site bearing capacity and leveling and outrigger stability and warning and hoisting and electrical conditions and keep records.
Drilling tools and parameters and in-hole accidents
Will lead to hole deviation and buried pipe and stuck pipe and dropped tools and schedule delay.
Select drilling tools and parameters according to the geotechnical conditions and handle in-hole anomalies per the procedures and keep records.
Improper sampling and well completion and well washing
Will lead to distorted samples and an unusable well and invalid pumping tests.
Take cores and samples and install well casing and wash the well and conduct pumping tests per the task and design and record.
Improper safety and environmental handling
Will lead to personal injury and mud and waste oil and wastewater and spoil contamination and an unrestored site.
Work and handle per the safety and environmental procedures and report as required.
First practice task sheet reading and positioning and leveling and drilling tool selection and drilling parameters and sampling logging and in-hole anomaly and safety and environmental handling thoroughly, then work independently.
Bring tool suggestions into the existing hole position and drilling tool and parameter and sampling and well completion and record and reporting procedures.
First define hole position and depth and drilling tools and parameters and sampling and well completion and safety and environmental protection and data and record procedures and authorization.
Publish drilling and trenching safety and environmental and work safety requirements and accept supervision and inspection.
When comparing real positions, verify separately the city and industry and unit type, whether the position is rig operation or sampling or well completion or equipment maintenance, whether it is hourly or piece-rate or contract work, whether field and night shift and high-temperature and severe cold allowances are included, and the social insurance and statutory leave and pre-tax and post-tax definitions.
A data gap only means that current sources cannot safely answer the exact wage, not that the market has no quotes; when deciding, keep the position description, pay structure, field and attendance arrangements, and source date.
Editorial comparison of the actual contract's hourly/piece-rate/rig-shift/contract terms and allowances, hours, settlement volume/rework, and social insurance and pre- and post-tax treatment; no samples were obtained this round, so common payment ratios are not stated.
Mainland China wage definition
When citing public figures, the city, industry and unit type, position duties, whether field and night shift and high-temperature and severe cold allowances and schedule and safety bonuses are included, and the statistical measure and source date must all be stated.
Insufficient evidence: no national single-occupation wage definition was obtained.
Editorial verification of the real contract's base pay/allowances/hourly or piece-rate terms and settlement; no typical payment distribution for this occupation was obtained.
National exact wage gap for this occupation in China. NBS2025 construction non-private 92036/ private 66275, and scientific and technical services non-private 182064/ private 83560 yuan per year (on the current Chinese and English original page table 5: 2025=83560, 2024=82387) are pre-tax industry averages respectively; construction/geological/geotechnical positions may be relevant but the unit classification must be verified, and these are not the occupational median/starting pay/monthly wage; they cover 5+ urban legal entities and exclude self-employment and freelance work, and do not exclude all unit piece-rate/part-time/labor dispatch workers.
Editorial verification of peak season/schedule and hours/pay clauses; intensity or a guaranteed income increase was not verified.
National exact wage gap for this occupation in China. NBS2025 construction non-private 92036/ private 66275, and scientific and technical services non-private 182064/ private 83560 yuan per year (on the current Chinese and English original page table 5: 2025=83560, 2024=82387) are pre-tax industry averages respectively; construction/geological/geotechnical positions may be relevant but the unit classification must be verified, and these are not the occupational median/starting pay/monthly wage; they cover 5+ urban legal entities and exclude self-employment and freelance work, and do not exclude all unit piece-rate/part-time/labor dispatch workers.
The main factors affecting pay are the city and region, industry and unit type and project scale, whether the position is drilling or sampling or well completion or equipment maintenance, whether field and night shift and temperature allowances and schedule bonuses are included, and whether shift lead duties are included.
Editorial candidates: verifying task/hole position data extraction, parameter table checking, and sampling and maintenance record organization; real data and an approved plan and manual on-site verification are required. Deployment/efficiency/missed-entry reduction/substitution were not verified; measurement/conventional calculation/mechanical control are not necessarily GenAI. O*NET lists 4 categories of software: GPS, Office, Excel, Word; the Hot3 items show no proportions of the denominator of all unique U.S. occupation postings in 2025 and are not filled in as 0. ILO exposure is not adoption or layoffs, and NIST governance is not a drilling compliance permit.
This page provides no recruitment quotes or personal income promises; missing items remain missing and are not replaced by industry averages or adjacent occupations.
Wages disclosed on an hourly basis cannot be used to directly derive a stable annual or monthly income without the individual's hours and field and night shift and overtime arrangements.
U.S. exact occupation 47-5023: 2025 employment 19500 → 2035 projected 20200, a BLS net increase of about 700 and precise growth of 3.6%; the O*NET national trend rounds to 4%, with the summary category Average3—4%. 2025—2035 annual average 1400 openings include growth and replacement, not a ten-year total, not 1400 net annual additions, and not real-time hiring. The BLS self-employment proportion is '—', not filled in as 0, and it is not inferred that all workers are employed; projections are not Chinese demand, individual hiring, or AI causality.
The industry wage table only shows the coverage of this occupation in a specific industry and statistical period and cannot represent all enterprises and projects.
BLS and O*NET have different uses: O*NET provides task and work context and preparation level profiles, while OEWS provides wage statistics; when citing them, keep each definition separately.
Median 60,190 USD per year (28.94 USD per hour); annual percentiles 44,460 / 49,900 / 60,190 / 72,450 / 83,800 USD; hourly percentiles 21.37 / 23.99 / 28.94 / 34.83 / 40.29 USD.
Percentiles are distribution positions: about 10% of people are below 44,460 USD per year and about 10% are above 83,800 USD per year; they are not a starting pay or upper limit promise.
U.S. exact occupation 47-5023: 2025 employment 19500 → 2035 projected 20200, a BLS net increase of about 700 and precise growth of 3.6%; the O*NET national trend rounds to 4%, with the summary category Average3—4%. 2025—2035 annual average 1400 openings include growth and replacement, not a ten-year total, not 1400 net annual additions, and not real-time hiring. The BLS self-employment proportion is '—', not filled in as 0, and it is not inferred that all workers are employed; projections are not Chinese demand, individual hiring, or AI causality.
Related positions are distributed across scenarios such as mining and quarrying and oil and gas support and construction and geological exploration and water conservancy and geotechnical engineering; there are both field exploration and water well completion positions and construction foundation and blasting assistance drilling positions.
The U.S. O*NET new-hire education feedback is high school/equivalent 73%, less than high school 15%, and postsecondary certificate 12%; Job Zone1—2/SVP<6 is a group preparation description with several days to 1 year of training, not a legal threshold for this occupation or that everyone learns it in a few weeks. BLS2025 exact line typically requires high school, less than 5 years of related experience, and long-term on-the-job training; the two sets of indicators differ, so the group label cannot be used to claim that zero experience is always hired or that short training is universal.
The work scenario is the field and construction sites and borehole work faces; edge and electrical and hoisting and rotating part and high-pressure line and well control and environmental requirements differ considerably between enterprises and projects.
U.S. 47-5023 2025 annual 10/25/50/75/90 percentiles 44460/49900/60190/72450/83800 USD; hourly 21.37/23.99/28.94/34.83/40.29. OEWS employed pre-tax straight-time wages exclude self-employment, include commissions/production bonuses, and exclude overtime premiums; all field/night shift/temperature allowances cannot be excluded across the board, and specific wage items are verified by definition. Percentiles are not starting pay/seniority levels/personal caps. U.S. exact occupation 47-5023: 2025 employment 19500 → 2035 projected 20200, a BLS net increase of about 700 and precise growth of 3.6%; the O*NET national trend rounds to 4%, with the summary category Average3—4%. 2025—2035 annual average 1400 openings include growth and replacement, not a ten-year total, not 1400 net annual additions, and not real-time hiring. The BLS self-employment proportion is '—', not filled in as 0, and it is not inferred that all workers are employed; projections are not Chinese demand, individual hiring, or AI causality.
Editorial comparison of region/position/contract wage items and actual hours; the causality or magnitude of each factor on percentiles was not verified.
This page uses only exact occupation definitions and data for the periods listed; proxy definitions are not written as exact facts about this occupation.
When comparing opportunities, keep region, period, occupation code, and hours definitions consistent and verify industry, project type, hourly or piece-rate or rig-shift method, and benefits.
U.S. exact occupation 47-5023: 2025 employment 19500 → 2035 projected 20200, a BLS net increase of about 700 and precise growth of 3.6%; the O*NET national trend rounds to 4%, with the summary category Average3—4%. 2025—2035 annual average 1400 openings include growth and replacement, not a ten-year total, not 1400 net annual additions, and not real-time hiring. The BLS self-employment proportion is '—', not filled in as 0, and it is not inferred that all workers are employed; projections are not Chinese demand, individual hiring, or AI causality. U.S. 47-5023 2025 annual 10/25/50/75/90 percentiles 44460/49900/60190/72450/83800 USD; hourly 21.37/23.99/28.94/34.83/40.29. OEWS employed pre-tax straight-time wages exclude self-employment, include commissions/production bonuses, and exclude overtime premiums; all field/night shift/temperature allowances cannot be excluded across the board, and specific wage items are verified by definition. Percentiles are not starting pay/seniority levels/personal caps.
Observation signal four: able to accept the task and schedule and weather and field on-site residence rhythm and willing to do sampling logging and records and safety and environmental handling.
Trainable abilities include reading the task sheet and geological data, site survey and positioning and leveling and outrigger stabilization, drilling tool and bit selection and drilling parameter control, coring and sampling and logging and submission for testing, well completion casing installation and well washing and pumping tests, equipment maintenance and in-hole anomaly handling, and safety and environmental handling and records.
U.S. O*NET feedback: face-to-face every day 75% / weekly but not daily 18%, continuous contact 39% / most of the time 33%, telephone every day 35% / weekly but not daily 39% / never 22%; accuracy extremely important 16% / very important 50% / important 25%, standing continuously 52% / more than half 23%, hazardous equipment every day 71% / weekly but not daily 17%, ordinary PPE every day 84%, noise every day 65% / weekly but not daily 15%, extreme heat and cold every day 28% / weekly but not daily 39%, all-weather outdoor every day 79%, whole-body vibration every day 42% / weekly but not daily 43%, error extremely serious 52% / very serious 15% / serious 15%, daily decisions 44%, daily time pressure 20%, no competition 33%. Weekly hours >40h 53% / 40h 47%, irregular 61% / regular 36%, which does not prove night shifts or continuous duty for every worker in China. The context is feedback, not an injury occurrence rate or personal risk.
Reverse signals include expecting an office or only pressing buttons and watching gauges, being unwilling to wear protective equipment and follow edge and electrical and hoisting and rotating part and high-pressure line and dust and noise and wellhead and environmental requirements, finding it hard to keep precision and patience under repetitive operations and long field hours, or expecting to move into a management position quickly.
Verification method: first do the paper exercise on this page (arrange the hole position and depth and diameter and drilling tool selection sequence according to the task, write drilling parameter and flushing notes, and fill in hole depth and position and verticality and sampling logging and safety records), then observe your own tolerance for noise and dust and vibration and weather and field work rhythm in supervised field work or training.
RCI is an occupational interest summary and is not used for personality/health fitness or hiring judgments.
U.S. O*NET occupational interest R100/C45/I44/E12/S4/A2, with RCI as a summary of the top three interests, not a personal diagnosis/score/hiring probability.
Interests only indicate directions for exploration; actual fit is verified through supervised field work and team observation.
What kind of person is suited to this job?
Suited to people willing to stand and operate for long periods in the field and at construction sites under noise and dust and vibration and weather conditions, to work according to the task and geotechnical conditions and safety and environmental procedures, and to stay careful about hole depth and position and verticality and sampling under repetitive operations and long field hours and abnormal in-hole pressure.
This is work sample and field observation verification, not personality diagnosis or a hiring conclusion.
Verification action: complete one hole position and depth and drilling tool selection and drilling parameter and sampling logging exercise using the fictional task sheets and hole positions and strata and drilling tool records on this page, and participate in one complete cycle of positioning, drilling, sampling, and well completion in supervised field work or training, observing your own reactions to noise and dust and vibration and weather and field work rhythm.
Given repetitive site positioning and drilling and sampling and records, can you stay accurate and patient?
Verify through actual observation in supervised field work and feedback from the team.
Positioning and drilling
Interest assessments only indicate directions for exploration and are not personality diagnosis or hiring conclusions.
Can you maintain attention and accuracy on hole depth and position and verticality under noise and vibration and weather and rush pressure?
The editorial note first verifies that the observation environment has training/protection, and does not use rush work/severe weather/in-hole accident danger as a trial to verify personality or health fitness.
Would you rather operate a rig in the field, or do geological logging and drilling parameter and data organization work?
Compare the preference for on-site drilling versus desk logging and data organization through a position experience.
Logging and organization
Preference descriptions are not ability conclusions.
Can you accept the task and schedule and weather and field on-site residence and night shift routine?
Check against actual schedule and field work and on-site residence experiences and your own schedule arrangements.
Not used as a hiring basis.
When in-hole anomalies or dropped tools or stuck pipe or water inflow or equipment hazards or safety hazards occur, can you first ensure safety per the procedures and then handle and report?
Observe the handling order and reporting method through a simulated scenario.
Not used as an ability score.
Collaboration boundaries
Can you hand over clearly with the team leader and geology and surveying and inspection and the back office and equipment repair and safety and environmental personnel?
Verify through handover and records and feedback from counterparties.
Work surface: task and site and positioning and preparation
Can you position and level accurately according to the task sheet and geological data and site conditions and select and inspect the drilling tools and well completion equipment
Pay attention to site bearing capacity and outrigger stability and pipelines and buried objects and slopes and edges and hoisting and electrical conditions.
Work surface: drilling and sampling and well completion
Can you control drilling parameters according to the geotechnical conditions and take cores and samples and install casing and complete the well and wash it and conduct pumping tests
Drilling arbitrarily, not handling in-hole accidents and dropped tools per the procedures, and not completing and washing the well as required are not allowed.
Oil and gas drilling direction: oil and gas wells and well control and cementing
Can you operate the rig and manage drilling fluid and run casing and cement according to oil and gas drilling and well control procedures
Pay attention to well control and hydrogen sulfide and firefighting and special training and qualification requirements.
Derrick direction: derrick and drilling tool and wellhead equipment operation
Can you operate the derrick and drilling tools and wellhead equipment on the drill floor per the platform systems and support well control
Pay attention to well control and platform systems and height and hoisting safety.
Pile foundation direction: piles and pile sinking and foundations
Can you position and drive piles according to pile foundation codes and handle the pile body and record
Pay attention to pile position and pile driving process and foundation and testing requirements.
Construction machinery direction: earthmoving and lifting and paving
Can you operate earthmoving and lifting and paving construction machinery according to safety procedures
Pay attention to edges and lifting and machinery injury and signal command.
Can you remember the key points of the task sheet, hole position, hole depth, drilling tools, geotechnical conditions, and safety and environmental protection?
Can you accept on-site feedback from the team leader and technical lead and improve immediately?
When facing rush work or in-hole anomalies or severe weather or equipment hazards, can you stay restrained and handle it per the process?
Are you interested in earth drilling work itself?
Interest is the starting point; more reliable is experiencing one complete cycle of positioning and drilling and sampling and well completion in supervised field work.
Does it require a lot of communication with strangers?
Face-to-face 75% / contact 39% is overall feedback and cannot imply many unfamiliar clients; external customers are very important 31% / important 20% / not important at all 35%, and extroversion cannot be diagnosed from this either.
Are there education and qualification requirements?
The U.S. O*NET new-hire education feedback is high school/equivalent 73%, less than high school 15%, and postsecondary certificate 12%; Job Zone1—2/SVP<6 is a group preparation description with several days to 1 year of training, not a legal threshold for this occupation or that everyone learns it in a few weeks. BLS2025 exact line typically requires high school, less than 5 years of related experience, and long-term on-the-job training; the two sets of indicators differ, so the group label cannot be used to claim that zero experience is always hired or that short training is universal. Order No. 35 as amended by Order No. 78 applies to geological exploration of metal and non-metal minerals and does not apply to exploration in producing mines; Article 7 requires a safety permit for drilling and trenching construction units within that scope, Article 8 requires written reports, Article 9 covers systems, and Articles 18/19 cover protection, rescue, and emergency response. Article 11 requires special personnel to receive dedicated training, assessment, and the corresponding certificate; Article 12 requires trenching personnel to receive at least 72h initially and 20h of annual retraining, and this is not extended to all surface drillers. Article 15 requires a special safety chapter and review for trenching design, and this is not extended to general water wells or all earth boring. The 2017 geological exploration qualification approval has been cancelled, and a 2025 public reply from the Ministry of Natural Resources confirms that solid mineral exploration units and personnel have no such access threshold; the old 'qualification certificate' can no longer be listed as a current general condition, and this does not exempt safety permits or special operation certification. The current reporting materials, competent authorities, and local processing are verified separately.
Can you accept noise and dust and vibration and field weather?
U.S. O*NET feedback: face-to-face every day 75% / weekly but not daily 18%, continuous contact 39% / most of the time 33%, telephone every day 35% / weekly but not daily 39% / never 22%; accuracy extremely important 16% / very important 50% / important 25%, standing continuously 52% / more than half 23%, hazardous equipment every day 71% / weekly but not daily 17%, ordinary PPE every day 84%, noise every day 65% / weekly but not daily 15%, extreme heat and cold every day 28% / weekly but not daily 39%, all-weather outdoor every day 79%, whole-body vibration every day 42% / weekly but not daily 43%, error extremely serious 52% / very serious 15% / serious 15%, daily decisions 44%, daily time pressure 20%, no competition 33%. Weekly hours >40h 53% / 40h 47%, irregular 61% / regular 36%, which does not prove night shifts or continuous duty for every worker in China. The context is feedback, not an injury occurrence rate or personal risk. Articles 44/45 of the Chinese Work Safety Law require the unit to inform workers of hazards and provide compliant PPE, and Article 54 allows refusal of illegal commands or forced risk-taking; Article 55 allows stopping or taking necessary emergency measures and then evacuating when personal danger is immediate, without registration or approval first; Articles 57/58 require following procedures, correct PPE, and training, and Article 59 requires hazards to be reported immediately to on-site safety management or the unit head. Suspension/restart of ordinary quality problems and the professional signing position must be verified against the real project systems; these were not obtained this round, and no uniform final authority can be granted to the team leader, geologist, repair, or inspection.
Where should a beginner start practicing?
Start with task sheet reading and positioning and leveling and drilling tool selection and drilling parameters and sampling logging and safety and environmental handling, then learn well completion and well washing and pumping tests and collaboration; you can practice in supervised field work or training, and do not skip edge and electrical and hoisting and rotating part safety.
Should I take a personality assessment first?
You can use it as a starting point for self-understanding, but do not use it to decide whether to enter the occupation; a more reliable way is to complete the paper exercise on this page and experience one complete cycle of positioning and drilling and well completion.
Complete the paper exercise on this page and seek one supervised field work or training experience, recording your true feelings about noise and dust and vibration and weather and field work rhythm.
O*NET 47-5023.00 tasks and work context: used to explain the site and safety and load and skill requirements of this occupation.
BLS/OEWS: used to explain wage and employment definitions and statistical positions.
Real enterprise/project systems were not obtained this round, and a human resources homepage cannot be treated as authorization evidence.
Interest assessment tools: only indicate directions for exploration and are not used for personality diagnosis or hiring decisions.
Adjacent occupation comparison (oil and gas rotary drilling and derrick and service units): used to explain the differences in oil and gas well operations and well control and workover.
The O*NET derrick operator 47-5011 duties support derrick maintenance and earth drilling task comparison and do not represent mutual recognition of access.
The O*NET pile driver operator 47-2072 duties support pile foundation task comparison and are not Chinese geological exploration safety regulations.
The O*NET construction equipment operator 47-2073 duties support construction machinery and drilling task comparison and are not AI effect or access proof.
Site and outrigger and hoisting defect risk: drilling before confirming site bearing capacity and leveling and outrigger stability and warning and hoisting and electrical conditions, leading to equipment overturning and personal injury and work accidents. AQ2004-2005 platform current/mandatory; clause 1 covers Chinese geological exploration (excluding oil and gas geological exploration) and explicitly does not apply to using the technology in other industries, so the U.S. code scope is not fully mapped onto the standard scope. Actually read: 4.5 requires geological exploration units to provide field survival and self- and mutual-rescue skills training at least once every two years for field personnel; the project team provides safety education before each field deployment or before changing regions, 4.7 protective equipment, 4.8 health examinations; 10.1/10.2 rig foundation and drill frame installation and handling, 10.4.1 equipment protection inspection before spudding, 10.4.2 prohibition of cleaning, disassembling, or repairing and of stepping over drive belts while rotating, 10.4.3 shutting down before repairing high-pressure hoses; 10.5.2 in-hole accidents are handled by the rig team leader or an experienced technician under dedicated command while others evacuate, and 10.7.8 electrical repair requires power disconnection with lockout tagging or an attendant. Specific designs/equipment/new versions of cited standards are verified separately, and this page is not an operating manual. Articles 44/45 of the Chinese Work Safety Law require the unit to inform workers of hazards and provide compliant PPE, and Article 54 allows refusal of illegal commands or forced risk-taking; Article 55 allows stopping or taking necessary emergency measures and then evacuating when personal danger is immediate, without registration or approval first; Articles 57/58 require following procedures, correct PPE, and training, and Article 59 requires hazards to be reported immediately to on-site safety management or the unit head. Suspension/restart of ordinary quality problems and the professional signing position must be verified against the real project systems; these were not obtained this round, and no uniform final authority can be granted to the team leader, geologist, repair, or inspection.
Drilling tool and parameter and in-hole accident risk: drilling tool and bit selection and rotation speed and air pressure and down pressure and flushing do not match the geotechnical conditions, or in-hole anomalies are not handled per the procedures, leading to hole deviation and buried pipe and stuck pipe and dropped tools and schedule delay. In applicable AQ10.5.2 in-hole accidents are handled by the rig team leader or an experienced technician under dedicated command while others evacuate; this is not a uniform final authority for maintenance personnel. AQ2004-2005 platform current/mandatory; clause 1 covers Chinese geological exploration (excluding oil and gas geological exploration) and explicitly does not apply to using the technology in other industries, so the U.S. code scope is not fully mapped onto the standard scope. Actually read: 4.5 requires geological exploration units to provide field survival and self- and mutual-rescue skills training at least once every two years for field personnel; the project team provides safety education before each field deployment or before changing regions, 4.7 protective equipment, 4.8 health examinations; 10.1/10.2 rig foundation and drill frame installation and handling, 10.4.1 equipment protection inspection before spudding, 10.4.2 prohibition of cleaning, disassembling, or repairing and of stepping over drive belts while rotating, 10.4.3 shutting down before repairing high-pressure hoses; 10.5.2 in-hole accidents are handled by the rig team leader or an experienced technician under dedicated command while others evacuate, and 10.7.8 electrical repair requires power disconnection with lockout tagging or an attendant. Specific designs/equipment/new versions of cited standards are verified separately, and this page is not an operating manual.
Improper sampling and well completion and well washing risk: coring and sampling and logging and casing installation and well completion and well washing and pumping tests are not carried out per the task or design, leading to distorted samples and an unusable well and invalid tests. Sample and complete wells per the task and design; several O*NET well completion/pump system design tasks are Supplemental and not performed by everyone. The specific quality acceptance organization was not obtained, and no uniform 'inspection' signing authority is stipulated.
Improper safety and environmental handling risk: working without following edge and electrical and hoisting and rotating part and high-pressure line and dust and noise requirements, or not disposing of mud and waste oil and wastewater and spoil and restoring the site per the procedures, leading to personal injury and environmental pollution. Verify unit protection/waste and water discharge requirements according to law; this project's environmental permit/handling parameters were not obtained, and a governance framework cannot prove environmental compliance. Articles 44/45 of the Chinese Work Safety Law require the unit to inform workers of hazards and provide compliant PPE, and Article 54 allows refusal of illegal commands or forced risk-taking; Article 55 allows stopping or taking necessary emergency measures and then evacuating when personal danger is immediate, without registration or approval first; Articles 57/58 require following procedures, correct PPE, and training, and Article 59 requires hazards to be reported immediately to on-site safety management or the unit head. Suspension/restart of ordinary quality problems and the professional signing position must be verified against the real project systems; these were not obtained this round, and no uniform final authority can be granted to the team leader, geologist, repair, or inspection.
Editorial suggestion: verify the truthfulness of records and reports; in immediate personal danger, avoid danger first according to law, and report hazards immediately to safety management or the unit head; the specific stop-work and restart authority was not verified. Articles 44/45 of the Chinese Work Safety Law require the unit to inform workers of hazards and provide compliant PPE, and Article 54 allows refusal of illegal commands or forced risk-taking; Article 55 allows stopping or taking necessary emergency measures and then evacuating when personal danger is immediate, without registration or approval first; Articles 57/58 require following procedures, correct PPE, and training, and Article 59 requires hazards to be reported immediately to on-site safety management or the unit head. Suspension/restart of ordinary quality problems and the professional signing position must be verified against the real project systems; these were not obtained this round, and no uniform final authority can be granted to the team leader, geologist, repair, or inspection.
Risks and control points for earth drillers
First identify six categories of risk: task and hole position and pipeline errors, site and outrigger and hoisting defects, drilling tool and parameter and in-hole accidents, improper sampling and well completion and well washing, improper safety and environmental handling, and delayed records and anomaly reporting.
O*NET supports U.S. tasks/context; Chinese regulations/AQ are each limited to their actual scope. The consequences are editorial analysis rather than occurrence rates, and enterprise systems and all environmental permits were not obtained.
This page cannot replace drilling and trenching safety and environmental and work safety regulations or this project's systems and local rules.
View risks by the field and construction site
Task and hole position and pipeline errors
The task sheet and geological data and hole position and depth and site and pipeline and buried object conditions are not checked clearly.
Possible: drilling into pipelines and hole position deviation and rework and schedule waste. (Editorial risk analysis; occurrence rate not verified.)
Site and outrigger and hoisting defects
Drilling before confirming site bearing capacity and outrigger stability and warning and hoisting and electrical conditions.
Possible: equipment overturning and personal injury and work accidents. (Editorial risk analysis; occurrence rate not verified.)
Drilling tools and parameters and in-hole accidents
Drilling tool and bit selection and drilling parameters do not match the geotechnical conditions, or in-hole anomalies are not handled per the procedures.
Possible: hole deviation and buried pipe and stuck pipe and dropped tools and schedule delay. (Editorial risk analysis; occurrence rate not verified.)
Improper sampling and well completion and well washing
Sampling and well completion position
Coring and sampling and logging and casing installation and well completion and well washing and pumping tests are not carried out per the task or design.
Possible: distorted samples and an unusable well and invalid tests. (Editorial risk analysis; occurrence rate not verified.)
Improper safety and environmental handling
Safety and environmental protection position
Working without following edge and electrical and hoisting and rotating part and dust and noise requirements, or not disposing of mud and waste oil and wastewater and spoil per the procedures.
Possible: personal injury and environmental pollution and an unrestored site. (Editorial risk analysis; occurrence rate not verified.)
Delayed records and anomaly reporting
Missing hole position and depth and sampling and well completion and equipment maintenance records, or failure to report in-hole anomalies and equipment hazards as required.
Possible: an expanding accident and liability risk. (Editorial risk analysis; occurrence rate not verified.)
BLS/OEWS and O*NET: used for wage, employment, and work context and preparation level definitions.
Articles 44/45 of the Chinese Work Safety Law require the unit to inform workers of hazards and provide compliant PPE, and Article 54 allows refusal of illegal commands or forced risk-taking; Article 55 allows stopping or taking necessary emergency measures and then evacuating when personal danger is immediate, without requiring registration, reporting, or approval beforehand; Articles 57/58 require following procedures, correct PPE, and training, and Article 59 requires hazards to be reported immediately to on-site safety management or the unit head. Suspension/restart of ordinary quality problems and the professional signing position must be verified against the real project systems; these were not obtained this round, and no uniform final authority can be granted to the team leader, geologist, repair, or inspection.
Order No. 35 as amended by Order No. 78 applies to geological exploration of metal and non-metal minerals and does not apply to exploration in producing mines; Article 7 requires a safety permit for construction units undertaking drilling or exploration by excavation within that scope, Article 8 requires written reports, Article 9 covers systems, and Articles 18/19 cover protection, rescue, and emergency response. Article 11 requires special personnel to receive dedicated training, assessment, and the corresponding certificate; Article 12 requires personnel undertaking exploration by excavation to receive at least 72h initially and 20h of annual retraining, and this is not extended to all surface drillers. Article 15 requires a special safety chapter and review for the design of exploration by excavation, and this is not extended to general water wells or all earth boring. The 2017 geological exploration qualification approval has been cancelled, and a 2025 public reply from the Ministry of Natural Resources confirms that solid mineral exploration units and personnel have no such access threshold; the old 'qualification certificate' can no longer be listed as a current general condition, and this does not exempt safety permits or special operation certification. The current reporting materials, competent authorities, and local processing are verified separately. AQ2004-2005 platform current/mandatory; clause 1 covers Chinese geological exploration (excluding oil and gas geological exploration) and explicitly does not apply to using the technology in other industries, so the U.S. code scope is not fully mapped onto the standard scope. Actually read: 4.5 requires geological exploration units to provide field survival and self- and mutual-rescue skills training at least once every two years for field personnel; the project team provides safety education before departure for fieldwork each year or before changing regions, 4.7 protective equipment, 4.8 health examinations; 10.1/10.2 rig foundation and drill frame installation and handling, 10.4.1 equipment protection inspection before spudding, 10.4.2 prohibition of cleaning, disassembling, or repairing and of stepping over drive belts while rotating, 10.4.3 shutting down before repairing high-pressure hoses; 10.5.2 in-hole accidents are handled by the rig team leader or an experienced technician under dedicated command while others evacuate, and 10.7.8 electrical repair requires disconnecting the power and posting a warning tag or assigning an attendant. Specific designs/equipment/new versions of cited standards are verified separately, and this page is not an operating manual.
The actual OEWS method is not a film and television union.
AI risk management framework: used to explain the governance boundaries of system assistance and does not constitute a compliance checklist for this occupation.
| Entry directions | What you mainly do early on | Employer requirements and observation basis | How to demonstrate it without experience | Difference from other directions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rig positioning and drilling assistance (entry) | Assist under mentoring with site survey and positioning and leveling and outrigger stabilization and drilling tool assembly and drilling operation. | Accuracy of positioning and leveling and drilling assistance, and shift lead comments. | Paper positioning and drilling tool selection and drilling parameter exercises, and shift lead comments from supervised field work. | Leans toward positioning and drilling execution, with hole position and parameters verified by the real project division of labor; in cases covered by AQ2004, in-hole accidents are handled by the rig team leader or an experienced technician under dedicated command while others evacuate, and no handling authority is broadly granted to the technical lead or a newcomer. |
| Sampling and logging | Assist with coring and sampling and logging and submission for testing and record strata and drilling progress. | Accuracy of sampling and logging, and geological and shift lead feedback. | Sampling and logging and submission record exercises. | Leans toward sampling and record execution, with sample representativeness and logging conclusions borne by geological personnel. |
| Well completion and well washing and pumping tests | Assist with installing well casing and screen and filter material and sealing and with well washing and pumping tests and disinfection. | Well completion and well washing and test records, and inspection feedback. | Well completion and well washing and pumping test record exercises. | Leans toward well completion cooperation and records; the position authority for quality, pumping test evaluation, and acceptance signing is verified against the real project systems, and no general division of labor was obtained this round. |
| Equipment maintenance and in-hole handling | Assist with routine maintenance and equipment upgrades and handle stuck pipe and buried pipe and fishing out dropped equipment and water inflow. | Equipment maintenance ledgers and in-hole handling records, and maintenance personnel comments. | Equipment maintenance and in-hole handling record exercises. | Under applicable AQ, in-hole accidents are handled by the rig team leader or an experienced technician/under dedicated command, and the specific repair and project division of labor is verified separately, without granting uniform handling authority to maintenance personnel |
| Safety and environmental protection and records | Complete site and edge and electrical and hoisting inspection and mud and waste oil and wastewater handling and records and cooperate with inspection. | Accuracy of inspection and handling and records, and feedback from safety and environmental personnel. | Safety and environmental inspection and handling and record exercises. | Leans toward inspection, reporting, and handling cooperation; workers who find hazards should report immediately under the Work Safety Law, and identification is not limited to safety and environmental personnel; professional handling and environmental acceptance authority are verified separately. |
Project and shift records
Able to provide the hole positions and operations and shifts and field on-site residence or rig-shift records you participated in.
Training and safety and skill records
Able to provide rig operation or special operation or safety and field rescue training and assessment records that fit the target position.
Shift lead comments from supervised field work
Able to provide specific comments from the team leader or technical lead on positioning and drilling and sampling and inspection and cooperation.
Record and verification habits
Able to provide verification examples of hole position and depth and sampling and safety and environmental inspection records.
A one-page drilling flow summary
Use one page to write out the steps and checkpoints of task and site and positioning and preparation — drilling and sampling and well completion — records and safety and environmental protection and handover.
One correction record
Record how one hole position deviation or hole deviation or improper drilling tool selection or stuck pipe or dropped tool or safety and environmental handling problem was discovered, how it was handled, and how repetition is avoided.
Positioning and drilling and inspection templates
A self-made hole position and depth and drilling tool selection and drilling parameter key points table, a sampling and well completion and well washing key points table, and a site and safety and environmental inspection and anomaly reporting and handover form.
A reflection
Explain your feelings under noise and dust and vibration and weather and field work rhythm and the links that still need practice, as well as questions about hole position and depth and safety and environmental boundaries.
| Scenario | What to verify | How to observe | What cannot be inferred from it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before the interview and hiring | Verify the projects and operations and shifts and field on-site residence or rig-shift arrangements you can participate in, and whether you have the rig operation and special operation and safety training foundation required by the target position. | Ask about their understanding and actual practice of the task sheet and hole position and depth and drilling tool selection and sampling and well completion and safety and environmental protection. | When conditions do not match, the enterprise and project decide, not the individual. |
| Training and mentoring period | Complete task sheet reading and positioning and leveling and drilling tool selection and drilling parameters and sampling logging and safety and environmental training, and complete limited drilling and sampling and record tasks under mentoring. | Observe whether they work according to the task and geotechnical conditions and complete hole position and depth and sampling and safety and environmental inspection and records and report anomalies as required. | If training and assessment are not passed or the special operation and necessary authorization are not obtained, they must not work independently. |
| Supervised independent work period | Independently complete positioning and drilling and sampling and well completion and records within the scope of authorization. | Spot-check hole position and depth and verticality and sampling and well completion and anomaly reporting timeliness. | If hole position deviation or improper parameters or exceeding authorization or delayed reporting or safety and environmental problems recur, transfer handling to the shift lead and retrain. |
| Routine independent work period | Independently take on drilling for a hole position or operation or team and participate in quality and improvement and mentoring. | Verify the sampling and well completion and record pass rates and cooperation and schedule performance. | When in-hole accidents or safety or environmental incidents occur, report and handle per the system. |
| Qualification / preparation item | Who it mainly suits | Realistic job-seeking effect | Whether it is a general entry threshold | Registration / application conditions | Investment considerations | Important limitations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Safety permit for construction involving drilling and exploration by excavation (mainland China) | Applies to construction units within the specified metal/non-metal mineral exploration scope; not to all drilling personnel | Order No. 35 as amended by Order No. 78 applies to geological exploration of metal and non-metal minerals and does not apply to exploration in producing mines; Article 7 requires a safety permit for construction units undertaking drilling or exploration by excavation within that scope, Article 8 requires written reports, Article 9 covers systems, and Articles 18/19 cover protection, rescue, and emergency response. Article 11 requires special personnel to receive dedicated training, assessment, and the corresponding certificate; Article 12 requires personnel undertaking exploration by excavation to receive at least 72h initially and 20h of annual retraining, and this is not extended to all surface drillers. Article 15 requires a special safety chapter and review for the design of exploration by excavation, and this is not extended to general water wells or all earth boring. The 2017 geological exploration qualification approval has been cancelled, and a 2025 public reply from the Ministry of Natural Resources confirms that solid mineral exploration units and personnel have no such access threshold; the old 'qualification certificate' can no longer be listed as a current general condition, and this does not exempt safety permits or special operation certification. The current reporting materials, competent authorities, and local processing are verified separately. | Yes (for construction units undertaking drilling or exploration by excavation): it falls within the scope of the departmental regulation. | Verify the qualification, permit, and reporting requirements against the regulation and this project and local requirements. | Compliance and rectification time. | The unit safety permit and the cancelled geological exploration qualification approval are kept separate; local materials are verified separately. |
| Special operation training and training for exploration by excavation (mainland China) | Special operation personnel and personnel undertaking exploration by excavation | Order No. 35 as amended by Order No. 78 applies to geological exploration of metal and non-metal minerals and does not apply to exploration in producing mines; Article 7 requires a safety permit for construction units undertaking drilling or exploration by excavation within that scope, Article 8 requires written reports, Article 9 covers systems, and Articles 18/19 cover protection, rescue, and emergency response. Article 11 requires special personnel to receive dedicated training, assessment, and the corresponding certificate; Article 12 requires personnel undertaking exploration by excavation to receive at least 72h initially and 20h of annual retraining, and this is not extended to all surface drillers. Article 15 requires a special safety chapter and review for the design of exploration by excavation, and this is not extended to general water wells or all earth boring. The 2017 geological exploration qualification approval has been cancelled, and a 2025 public reply from the Ministry of Natural Resources confirms that solid mineral exploration units and personnel have no such access threshold; the old 'qualification certificate' can no longer be listed as a current general condition, and this does not exempt safety permits or special operation certification. The current reporting materials, competent authorities, and local processing are verified separately. | Yes (for special operations and exploration by excavation): explicitly required by the regulation. | Verify the training, certification, and retraining records against the regulation and the project systems. | Training and certification time. | This item is based on State Administration of Work Safety Order No. 35 (amended by Order No. 78), and article numbers were not verified one by one. |
| Safety code for geological exploration and the special safety chapter (mainland China) | Geological exploration engineering design and construction and safety management personnel | AQ2004-2005 platform current/mandatory; clause 1 covers Chinese geological exploration (excluding oil and gas geological exploration) and explicitly does not apply to using the technology in other industries, so the U.S. code scope is not fully mapped onto the standard scope. Actually read: 4.5 requires geological exploration units to provide field survival and self- and mutual-rescue skills training at least once every two years for field personnel; the project team provides safety education before departure for fieldwork each year or before changing regions, 4.7 protective equipment, 4.8 health examinations; 10.1/10.2 rig foundation and drill frame installation and handling, 10.4.1 equipment protection inspection before spudding, 10.4.2 prohibition of cleaning, disassembling, or repairing and of stepping over drive belts while rotating, 10.4.3 shutting down before repairing high-pressure hoses; 10.5.2 in-hole accidents are handled by the rig team leader or an experienced technician under dedicated command while others evacuate, and 10.7.8 electrical repair requires disconnecting the power and posting a warning tag or assigning an attendant. Specific designs/equipment/new versions of cited standards are verified separately, and this page is not an operating manual. Order No. 35 as amended by Order No. 78 applies to geological exploration of metal and non-metal minerals and does not apply to exploration in producing mines; Article 7 requires a safety permit for construction units undertaking drilling or exploration by excavation within that scope, Article 8 requires written reports, Article 9 covers systems, and Articles 18/19 cover protection, rescue, and emergency response. Article 11 requires special personnel to receive dedicated training, assessment, and the corresponding certificate; Article 12 requires personnel undertaking exploration by excavation to receive at least 72h initially and 20h of annual retraining, and this is not extended to all surface drillers. Article 15 requires a special safety chapter and review for the design of exploration by excavation, and this is not extended to general water wells or all earth boring. The 2017 geological exploration qualification approval has been cancelled, and a 2025 public reply from the Ministry of Natural Resources confirms that solid mineral exploration units and personnel have no such access threshold; the old 'qualification certificate' can no longer be listed as a current general condition, and this does not exempt safety permits or special operation certification. The current reporting materials, competent authorities, and local processing are verified separately. | Yes (for geological exploration engineering): it falls within the scope of the industry standard and regulation. | |||
| On-the-job training and experience (U.S. statistics kept separate) | Zero-experience entrants | The U.S. O*NET new-hire education feedback is high school/equivalent 73%, less than high school 15%, and postsecondary certificate 12%; Job Zone1—2/SVP<6 is a group preparation description with several days to 1 year of training, not a legal threshold for this occupation or that everyone learns it in a few weeks. BLS2025 exact line typically requires high school, less than 5 years of related experience, and long-term on-the-job training; the two sets of indicators differ, so the group label cannot be used to claim that zero experience is always hired or that short training is universal. | Group preparation is not a general threshold; BLS typical long-term training/related experience | Complete according to the enterprise and project training plan and accept assessment. | Time investment and learning pace. | Completing training is not the same as obtaining a special operation qualification or safety permit or well control qualification. |
| Drilling and sampling and well completion training | Drilling and sampling and well completion personnel | On-site capability: helps complete drilling and sampling and well completion and records according to the task and geotechnical conditions. | Depends on the enterprise and project quality and safety system requirements. | Attend per the systems and retrain periodically. | Training time. | Training is not equivalent to obtaining an external inspection or well completion acceptance qualification. |
| Adjacent direction skills (oil and gas drilling or pile driving or construction machinery) | People who wish to move to an adjacent position | Direction-related: prepares for the oil and gas drilling or pile driving or construction machinery direction, but does not change this occupation's duty boundaries. | No: it belongs to the skills and experience of an adjacent direction. | Participate according to the recruitment and well control and safety and qualification requirements of the target position. | Transfer time. | Experience in an adjacent direction does not mean one can take on well control or pile foundation or earthwork or blasting duties. |
The U.S. O*NET new-hire education feedback is high school/equivalent 73%, less than high school 15%, and postsecondary certificate 12%; Job Zone1—2/SVP<6 is a group preparation description with several days to 1 year of training, not a legal threshold for this occupation or that everyone learns it in a few weeks. The BLS2025 exact line lists high school, less than 5 years of related experience, and long-term on-the-job training as typical indicators; the two sets of indicators differ, so the group label cannot be used to claim that zero experience is always hired or that short training is universal. Order No. 35 as amended by Order No. 78 applies to geological exploration of metal and non-metal minerals and does not apply to exploration in producing mines; Article 7 requires a safety permit for construction units undertaking drilling or exploration by excavation within that scope, Article 8 requires written reports, Article 9 covers systems, and Articles 18/19 cover protection, rescue, and emergency response. Article 11 requires special personnel to receive dedicated training, assessment, and the corresponding certificate; Article 12 requires personnel undertaking exploration by excavation to receive at least 72h initially and 20h of annual retraining, and this is not extended to all surface drillers. Article 15 requires a special safety chapter and review for the design of exploration by excavation, and this is not extended to general water wells or all earth boring. The 2017 geological exploration qualification approval has been cancelled, and a 2025 public reply from the Ministry of Natural Resources confirms that solid mineral exploration units and personnel have no such access threshold; the old 'qualification certificate' can no longer be listed as a current general condition, and this does not exempt safety permits or special operation certification. The current reporting materials, competent authorities, and local processing are verified separately. The exploration portfolio on this page cannot grant real work/safety/environmental qualifications.
Entering earth drilling is not a matter of signing up for a single course; first verify the projects and operations and shifts and field on-site residence arrangements of the target position, and whether special operation training and rig operation skills and safety and environmental rules are required.
Stage one: use fictional task sheets and hole positions and strata and drilling tool records to practice hole position and depth and diameter and drilling tool selection and drilling parameters and sampling logging and records.
Stage two: complete limited positioning and drilling and sampling and record tasks in supervised field work, and keep shift lead feedback and correction records.
Fictional materials
1 set of fictional task sheets and geological data and hole position and depth and diameter and coring or well completion requirements, 1 list of drilling tools and bits and rods and well completion equipment, a hole depth and position and verticality and sampling logging and safety and environmental inspection and anomaly reporting and handover form template, and 3 items on a site and pipeline and slope and safety hazard list.
All materials are fictional and contain no real project or geological information unrelated to you.
Portfolio task
Within 40 minutes, arrange the hole position and depth and diameter and coring or well completion and drilling tool selection sequence according to the task, write a paragraph on drilling speed and air pressure and down pressure and flushing according to the geotechnical conditions, and fill in one hole depth and position and verticality and sampling logging and safety and environmental protection and anomaly record.
Do only paper verification and plan design, without contact with real drilling rigs, in-hole operations, blasting, or wellhead equipment, and without a geological or engineering or environmental or safety conclusion.
Reference result
The drilling sequence is sorted by task and hole position and geotechnical conditions and operations and 3 site and pipeline and safety hazards are marked; the drilling note includes drilling tool selection and rotation speed and air pressure and down pressure and flushing and hole depth and verticality key points; the inspection and records include site and outrigger and warning and protection and sampling and well completion and anomaly reporting items.
The reference result is for self-checking and is not the only correct answer.
Boundary statement
The exercise is for career exploration and does not constitute job training, a special operation qualification, or safety and environmental authorization; real drilling operations and in-hole operations and blasting and wellhead and electrical and field work must be undertaken by organizations and personnel with the corresponding training and qualifications that follow the regulations and standards of the relevant jurisdiction and this project's requirements.
Day 1: understand the material
Read the fictional task sheets and geological data and hole position and depth and drilling tool and site materials, circle uncertain items, and write a question list.
Day 2: hole position and site
Arrange the hole position and depth and diameter and coring or well completion and drilling tool selection sequence according to the task and mark items to be confirmed.
Day 3: drilling parameters
Write a paragraph on drilling speed and air pressure and down pressure and flushing according to the geotechnical conditions.
Day 4: sampling and well completion
Write a paragraph on coring and sampling and logging and casing installation and well completion and well washing and pumping tests according to the task.
Day 5: safety and environmental protection
Fill in one site and outrigger and edge and electrical and protection and mud and waste oil and wastewater handling and anomaly reporting and handover form.
Day 6: repeat under time limits
Redo it under time limits and record your energy and the types of errors.
Day 7: compare and decide
Compare the two versions of the plan and write down continue / caution / stop and the reasons.
Entry, qualifications, and career development
Common entry directions and early tasks
The growth path and evidence are editorial suggestions, not mandatory employer hiring/promotion standards; a unit permit does not equal a personal certificate, and zero-experience position requirements must be verified against actual recruitment. Order No. 35 as amended by Order No. 78 applies to geological exploration of metal and non-metal minerals and does not apply to exploration in producing mines; Article 7 requires a safety permit for construction units undertaking drilling or exploration by excavation within that scope, Article 8 requires written reports, Article 9 covers systems, and Articles 18/19 cover protection, rescue, and emergency response. Article 11 requires special personnel to receive dedicated training, assessment, and the corresponding certificate; Article 12 requires personnel undertaking exploration by excavation to receive at least 72h initially and 20h of annual retraining, and this is not extended to all surface drillers. Article 15 requires a special safety chapter and review for the design of exploration by excavation, and this is not extended to general water wells or all earth boring. The 2017 geological exploration qualification approval has been cancelled, and a 2025 public reply from the Ministry of Natural Resources confirms that solid mineral exploration units and personnel have no such access threshold; the old 'qualification certificate' can no longer be listed as a current general condition, and this does not exempt safety permits or special operation certification. The current reporting materials, competent authorities, and local processing are verified separately.
Order No. 35 as amended by Order No. 78 applies to geological exploration of metal and non-metal minerals and does not apply to exploration in producing mines; Article 7 requires a safety permit for construction units undertaking drilling or exploration by excavation within that scope, Article 8 requires written reports, Article 9 covers systems, and Articles 18/19 cover protection, rescue, and emergency response. Article 11 requires special personnel to receive dedicated training, assessment, and the corresponding certificate; Article 12 requires personnel undertaking exploration by excavation to receive at least 72h initially and 20h of annual retraining, and this is not extended to all surface drillers. Article 15 requires a special safety chapter and review for the design of exploration by excavation, and this is not extended to general water wells or all earth boring. The 2017 geological exploration qualification approval has been cancelled, and a 2025 public reply from the Ministry of Natural Resources confirms that solid mineral exploration units and personnel have no such access threshold; the old 'qualification certificate' can no longer be listed as a current general condition, and this does not exempt safety permits or special operation certification. The current reporting materials, competent authorities, and local processing are verified separately. Articles 44/45 of the Chinese Work Safety Law require the unit to inform workers of hazards and provide compliant PPE, and Article 54 allows refusal of illegal commands or forced risk-taking; Article 55 allows stopping or taking necessary emergency measures and then evacuating when personal danger is immediate, without requiring registration, reporting, or approval beforehand; Articles 57/58 require following procedures, correct PPE, and training, and Article 59 requires hazards to be reported immediately to on-site safety management or the unit head. Suspension/restart of ordinary quality problems and the professional signing position must be verified against the real project systems; these were not obtained this round, and no uniform final authority can be granted to the team leader, geologist, repair, or inspection.
Order No. 35 as amended by Order No. 78 applies to geological exploration of metal and non-metal minerals and does not apply to exploration in producing mines; Article 7 requires a safety permit for construction units undertaking drilling or exploration by excavation within that scope, Article 8 requires written reports, Article 9 covers systems, and Articles 18/19 cover protection, rescue, and emergency response. Article 11 requires special personnel to receive dedicated training, assessment, and the corresponding certificate; Article 12 requires personnel undertaking exploration by excavation to receive at least 72h initially and 20h of annual retraining, and this is not extended to all surface drillers. Article 15 requires a special safety chapter and review for the design of exploration by excavation, and this is not extended to general water wells or all earth boring. The 2017 geological exploration qualification approval has been cancelled, and a 2025 public reply from the Ministry of Natural Resources confirms that solid mineral exploration units and personnel have no such access threshold; the old 'qualification certificate' can no longer be listed as a current general condition, and this does not exempt safety permits or special operation certification. The current reporting materials, competent authorities, and local processing are verified separately. AQ2004-2005 platform current/mandatory; clause 1 covers Chinese geological exploration (excluding oil and gas geological exploration) and explicitly does not apply to using the technology in other industries, so the U.S. code scope is not fully mapped onto the standard scope. Actually read: 4.5 requires geological exploration units to provide field survival and self- and mutual-rescue skills training at least once every two years for field personnel; the project team provides safety education before departure for fieldwork each year or before changing regions, 4.7 protective equipment, 4.8 health examinations; 10.1/10.2 rig foundation and drill frame installation and handling, 10.4.1 equipment protection inspection before spudding, 10.4.2 prohibition of cleaning, disassembling, or repairing and of stepping over drive belts while rotating, 10.4.3 shutting down before repairing high-pressure hoses; 10.5.2 in-hole accidents are handled by the rig team leader or an experienced technician under dedicated command while others evacuate, and 10.7.8 electrical repair requires disconnecting the power and posting a warning tag or assigning an attendant. Specific designs/equipment/new versions of cited standards are verified separately, and this page is not an operating manual.
The U.S. O*NET new-hire education feedback is high school/equivalent 73%, less than high school 15%, and postsecondary certificate 12%; Job Zone1—2/SVP<6 is a group preparation description with several days to 1 year of training, not a legal threshold for this occupation or that everyone learns it in a few weeks. BLS2025 exact line typically requires high school, less than 5 years of related experience, and long-term on-the-job training; the two sets of indicators differ, so the group label cannot be used to claim that zero experience is always hired or that short training is universal. Verify in China by the actual trade and employer; a full qualification catalog was not obtained, so it cannot be generalized that there is no unified license nationwide.
Task and site and positioning and preparation
Study the task sheet and geological data and survey the site and pipelines and slopes, position and level the rig and stabilize the outriggers and extend the mast, and assemble and inspect the drilling tools and bits and rods and well completion equipment and confirm the disposal plan and protective measures.
Drilling and sampling and well completion
Select bits and rods according to the geotechnical and strata conditions and control rotation speed and air pressure and down pressure and flushing, verify hole depth and position and verticality and observe returns and record strata and take cores and samples and submit for testing, and install well casing and screen and filter material and sealing and wash the well and conduct pumping tests and disinfection.
Records and safety and environmental protection and handover
Record strata and progress and samples and equipment and in-hole anomalies, dispose of mud and waste oil and wastewater and spoil per the procedures and restore the site, and inspect protection and warning and electrical and hoisting and rotating part conditions and report and hand over when anomalies occur.
Shift leading and mentoring
Take part in hole position and drilling tool and parameter and sampling and well completion and safety and environmental protection improvement, keep records and hand over, and mentor new drilling personnel.
Task and site and positioning and preparation
Entry assistance
Read the task and survey the site under mentoring and assist with rig positioning and leveling and outrigger stabilization and drilling tool assembly.
Able to organize and mark uncertain items according to the task and site conditions.
Take training and obtain the necessary authorization as required by the enterprise and project.
After becoming proficient, expand to more hole types and site and strata conditions.
Stable execution
Complete positioning/drilling assistance within the actual training, authority, and mentoring scope; no 'peak efficiency' standard was verified, and short training does not automatically grant authorization.
Positioning and drilling and records and shift lead comments.
Take retraining per the system.
Learn complex strata and in-hole anomalies and well completion processes.
Complex collaboration
Collaborate among different hole types and sites and operations and teams and handle positioning and drilling problems.
Multi-operation collaboration and hole position and drilling records and supervisor comments.
Take safety and environmental training per the system.
Take part in operation and safety improvement.
Shift leading and responsibility
Lead a shift and take responsibility for the positioning and drilling and quality of one hole position or operation.
Shift lead records and hole depth and sampling spot check records.
Take shift leading and management training per the system.
Develop toward technical lead or team leader.
Drilling and sampling and well completion
Drilling and parameter control
Select drilling tools according to the geotechnical conditions and control rotation speed and air pressure and down pressure and flushing and verify hole depth and verticality.
Drilling parameter and hole depth and verticality records.
Take drilling and equipment training per the system.
Expand to more rigs and strata types.
Sampling and logging
Take cores and samples and log and submit for testing and observe returns and record strata.
Sampling and logging and submission records.
Take sampling and logging training per the system.
Take part in sampling and logging process improvement.
Well completion and well washing
Install well casing and screen and filter material and sealing and wash the well and conduct pumping tests and disinfection.
Well completion and well washing and pumping test records.
Take well completion and well test training per the system.
Learn well completion design and test analysis.
Equipment maintenance and in-hole handling
Perform routine maintenance and upgrade equipment and handle stuck pipe and buried pipe and fishing out dropped equipment and water inflow.
Equipment maintenance and in-hole handling records.
Take equipment repair and in-hole accident handling training per the system.
Develop toward technical lead or equipment lead.
Records and safety and environmental protection and handover
Site and pipeline and slope inspection
Inspect site bearing capacity and leveling and pipelines and buried objects and slopes and edges and warning conditions.
Site and pipeline and edge inspection and records.
Take safety and inspection training per the system.
Take part in site and safety process improvement.
Safety and environmental handling
Dispose of mud and waste oil and wastewater and spoil per the procedures and restore the site and inspect protection and electrical and hoisting conditions.
Handling and restoration and protection inspection records.
Take environmental and safety training per the system.
Learn environmental and safety plans and emergency response.
Anomalies and reporting
Report and handle in-hole anomalies and equipment hazards and safety and environmental problems as required.
Anomaly reporting and handling and handover records.
Take safety and emergency training per the system.
Take part in emergency plans and reporting process improvement.
Shift leading and mentoring
Take part in hole position and drilling tool and parameter and sampling and well completion and safety and environmental protection improvement and mentor new drilling personnel.
Shift leading and mentoring records and improvement records.
Take shift leading and quality training per the system.
Develop toward technical lead or team leader.
BLS/OEWS and O*NET: used for wage, employment, and work context and preparation level definitions.
Articles 44/45 of the Chinese Work Safety Law require the unit to inform workers of hazards and provide compliant PPE, and Article 54 allows refusal of illegal commands or forced risk-taking; Article 55 allows stopping or taking necessary emergency measures and then evacuating when personal danger is immediate, without requiring registration, reporting, or approval beforehand; Articles 57/58 require following procedures, correct PPE, and training, and Article 59 requires hazards to be reported immediately to on-site safety management or the unit head. Suspension/restart of ordinary quality problems and the professional signing position must be verified against the real project systems; these were not obtained this round, and no uniform final authority can be granted to the team leader, geologist, repair, or inspection.
Order No. 35 as amended by Order No. 78 applies to geological exploration of metal and non-metal minerals and does not apply to exploration in producing mines; Article 7 requires a safety permit for construction units undertaking drilling or exploration by excavation within that scope, Article 8 requires written reports, Article 9 covers systems, and Articles 18/19 cover protection, rescue, and emergency response. Article 11 requires special personnel to receive dedicated training, assessment, and the corresponding certificate; Article 12 requires personnel undertaking exploration by excavation to receive at least 72h initially and 20h of annual retraining, and this is not extended to all surface drillers. Article 15 requires a special safety chapter and review for the design of exploration by excavation, and this is not extended to general water wells or all earth boring. The 2017 geological exploration qualification approval has been cancelled, and a 2025 public reply from the Ministry of Natural Resources confirms that solid mineral exploration units and personnel have no such access threshold; the old 'qualification certificate' can no longer be listed as a current general condition, and this does not exempt safety permits or special operation certification. The current reporting materials, competent authorities, and local processing are verified separately. AQ2004-2005 platform current/mandatory; clause 1 covers Chinese geological exploration (excluding oil and gas geological exploration) and explicitly does not apply to using the technology in other industries, so the U.S. code scope is not fully mapped onto the standard scope. Actually read: 4.5 requires geological exploration units to provide field survival and self- and mutual-rescue skills training at least once every two years for field personnel; the project team provides safety education before departure for fieldwork each year or before changing regions, 4.7 protective equipment, 4.8 health examinations; 10.1/10.2 rig foundation and drill frame installation and handling, 10.4.1 equipment protection inspection before spudding, 10.4.2 prohibition of cleaning, disassembling, or repairing and of stepping over drive belts while rotating, 10.4.3 shutting down before repairing high-pressure hoses; 10.5.2 in-hole accidents are handled by the rig team leader or an experienced technician under dedicated command while others evacuate, and 10.7.8 electrical repair requires disconnecting the power and posting a warning tag or assigning an attendant. Specific designs/equipment/new versions of cited standards are verified separately, and this page is not an operating manual.
Wage and environment definitions: this page does not use film or actors union definitions; wages cite OEWS and the environment cites O*NET.
The statistics are limited to U.S. national 47-5023 and 2025—2035; industry condition causality, AI effects, China, and individual opportunities were not verified.
Tasks include water extraction/mineral exploration/soil sampling/construction foundation or blasting assistance drilling; general field allowances or hourly arrangements were not verified.
When looking at real opportunities, record the city and region, industry and unit type and project scale, whether the position is drilling or sampling or well completion or equipment maintenance, whether it is hourly or piece-rate or rig-shift or contract work, whether field and night shift and temperature allowances and schedule bonuses are included, and deduplicate by source instead of looking at a single job advertisement.
Career outlook and transitions to related occupations
U.S. statistics apply only to 47-5023.00 and the periods listed and are not extrapolated to Chinese positions or a specific project.
Enterprise and project employment and pay arrangements vary by organization; this page provides no promise of hiring or income.
Job advertisements reflect demand only at the time they are posted and cannot represent the national market or long-term trends.
Transferable abilities: rig operation and equipment maintenance and field and safety experience.
Needs filling in: oil and gas drilling and well control and drilling fluid and casing running and cementing and special well control training.
Editorial comparison: medium, the object and well control procedures differ; individual distance/success rate not verified.
Editorially verifiable drilling tool and equipment/cooperation experience; the existing oil and gas wellhead/well control experience is not inferred from this occupation.
Needs filling in: platform and derrick and wellhead equipment procedures and well control and height and hoisting safety.
Editorial comparison: medium, the position and authorization differ; individual distance/success rate not verified.
Transferable abilities: equipment operation and process coordination and field work experience.
Needs filling in: oil and gas well service and workover equipment and wellbore operations and the corresponding qualifications.
Editorial comparison: medium, the object and process differ; individual distance/success rate not verified.
Transferable abilities: equipment operation and positioning and safety and field experience.
Needs filling in: pile foundation codes and piles and pile sinking and foundations and testing requirements.
Editorial comparison: close, similar equipment but a different object; individual distance/success rate not verified.
Transferable abilities: machinery operation and on-site safety and signal command experience.
Needs filling in: earthmoving and excavation and lifting and paving machinery operation and safety procedures.
Editorial comparison: close, similar machinery operation; individual distance/success rate not verified.
Transferable abilities: field and site carrying and cleaning and safety and cooperation experience.
Needs filling in: general site labor and temporary facilities and cooperating trades and special operation requirements.
Editorial comparison: close, different responsibility levels; individual distance/success rate not verified.
Editorially verifiable hole position/drilling and safety communication experience; the existing charging/blasting qualification is not inferred from blasting assistance drilling.
Needs filling in: blasting operations and civil explosives management and safety and special qualifications.
Editorial comparison: medium, the operation and qualification differ; individual distance/success rate not verified.
Transferable abilities: site survey and drilling and safety and environmental protection experience.
Needs filling in: wellhead equipment and oil and gas well production and well control and the corresponding qualifications.
Editorial comparison: medium, the object and equipment differ; individual distance/success rate not verified.
BLS/OEWS and O*NET: used for wage, employment, and work context and preparation level definitions.
U.S. exact occupation 47-5023: 2025 employment 19500 → 2035 projected 20200, a BLS net increase of about 700 and precise growth of 3.6%; the O*NET national trend rounds to 4%, with the summary category Average3—4%. 2025—2035 annual average 1400 openings include growth and replacement, not a ten-year total, not 1400 net annual additions, and not real-time hiring. The BLS self-employment proportion is '—', not filled in as 0, and it is not inferred that all workers are employed; projections are not Chinese demand, individual hiring, or AI causality.
Order No. 35 as amended by Order No. 78 applies to geological exploration of metal and non-metal minerals and does not apply to exploration in producing mines; Article 7 requires a safety permit for construction units undertaking drilling or exploration by excavation within that scope, Article 8 requires written reports, Article 9 covers systems, and Articles 18/19 cover protection, rescue, and emergency response. Article 11 requires special personnel to receive dedicated training, assessment, and the corresponding certificate; Article 12 requires personnel undertaking exploration by excavation to receive at least 72h initially and 20h of annual retraining, and this is not extended to all surface drillers. Article 15 requires a special safety chapter and review for the design of exploration by excavation, and this is not extended to general water wells or all earth boring. The 2017 geological exploration qualification approval has been cancelled, and a 2025 public reply from the Ministry of Natural Resources confirms that solid mineral exploration units and personnel have no such access threshold; the old 'qualification certificate' can no longer be listed as a current general condition, and this does not exempt safety permits or special operation certification. The current reporting materials, competent authorities, and local processing are verified separately.
O*NET 47-5023.00: used for tasks, work context, and preparation level.
AI and measurement and geological logging and drilling parameter assistance tools can assist with task sheet and geological data and hole position and depth reading, drilling tool and bit selection and drilling parameter and hole depth and verticality calculation, and core and sample logging and record archiving, but they cannot replace geotechnical and strata judgment, on-site verification of hole position and depth and verticality, handling of in-hole anomalies and dropped tools and stuck pipe and water inflow, safety and environmental handling, or drilling and well completion responsibility; this page has no evidence of adoption rates or substitution timelines for this occupation.
Task sheet and geological data and hole position and depth reading, drilling tool and bit selection and drilling parameter and hole depth and verticality calculation, and core and sample logging and record and photo archiving tools; these tools improve efficiency, but geotechnical and strata judgment and in-hole anomaly handling and safety and environmental responsibility remain with people.
The ability to select drilling tools and control drilling parameters according to the task and geotechnical conditions, verify hole depth and position and verticality and take cores and samples per the procedures, handle in-hole anomalies and dropped tools and stuck pipe and water inflow per the procedures, work and handle per the safety and environmental requirements, and handle situations on site as the site and strata change.
In the U.S. BLS 2025 wage data, the median is 60,190 USD per year (28.94 USD per hour), annual percentiles are 44,460 / 49,900 / 60,190 / 72,450 / 83,800 USD, and hourly percentiles are 21.37 / 23.99 / 28.94 / 34.83 / 40.29 USD. Mainland China has no corresponding national single-occupation definition, so no median or percentiles are given, and industry average wages serve only as a visible industry proxy. When comparing real positions, verify the city and region, industry and unit type and project scale, whether it is drilling or sampling or well completion or equipment maintenance, whether it is hourly or piece-rate or rig-shift or contract work, whether field and night shift and temperature allowances and schedule bonuses are included, and the pre-tax and post-tax definitions.
U.S. feedback shows 73% require a high school diploma or equivalent, 15% require less than high school graduation, and 12% require a postsecondary certificate, with mentoring and on-the-job training being predominant. In mainland China, geological exploration units carrying out drilling and trenching construction should obtain a work safety license and submit a written report under the Interim Provisions on the Supervision and Administration of Work Safety in Geological Exploration of Metal and Non-metal Mineral Resources, special operation personnel must hold a special operation certificate to take the post, and trenching personnel must receive at least 72 hours of safety education before first taking the post and at least 20 hours of retraining each year thereafter.
This occupation has no unified license in the United States; in mainland China, geological exploration units carrying out drilling and trenching construction should obtain a work safety license and, holding a geological exploration qualification certificate and project task approval document or contract, submit a written report to the county-level work safety supervision and administration department where the work area is located; special operation personnel must obtain a special operation certificate to take the post, and the design and construction and safety management of geological exploration engineering should comply with the Safety Code for Geological Exploration (AQ 2004), and operations should also comply with the Work Safety Law of the People's Republic of China and wear protective equipment and set warning barriers as required by the project.
First do the paper exercise on this page (arrange the hole position and depth and diameter and drilling tool selection sequence according to the task, write drilling parameter and flushing notes, and fill in hole depth and position and verticality and sampling logging and safety and environmental records), then seek a supervised field work or training experience; at the same time confirm that you can accept noise and dust and vibration and weather and field work rhythm, and confirm special operation and safety and environmental boundaries per the enterprise and project and regulatory requirements.
Consider the site and safety load (standing continuously or almost continuously 52%, exposure to hazardous equipment every day 71%, wearing common protective or safety equipment every day 84%, noise every day 65%, extreme heat or extreme cold every day 28% + weekly or more 39%, outdoor all kinds of weather every day 79%, whole-body vibration every day 42% + weekly or more 43%) and the consequences of error (extremely serious 52%, very serious 15%, serious 15%), as well as in-hole anomalies and equipment and safety and environmental responsibilities.
FermatMind career content production
O*NET tasks/wages and BLS employment are kept separate; Order No. 35, the qualification cancellation reply, and the actually read AQ chapters are limited to the actual jurisdiction/task.
2026-10-09: read by this round's author and not an independent acceptance.
Source scopes, limitations, and statistical periods are verified separately against the original evidence; data not obtained is visibly marked in the corresponding place.
Verify the difference between oil and gas well drilling and well control duties and this occupation's water extraction and exploration and earth drilling duties.
For adjacent-occupation comparison only and does not represent automatic job transfer or mutual recognition of qualifications.
O*NET OnLine
United States
O*NET updated 2026; accessed 2026-09-19
official occupation profile
Occupation-specific
For adjacent-occupation comparison only and does not represent automatic job transfer or mutual recognition of qualifications.
2026-09-19
Verify the difference between derrick and drilling tool and wellhead equipment operation and this occupation's rig operation.
For adjacent-occupation comparison only.
O*NET OnLine
United States
O*NET updated 2026; accessed 2026-09-19
official occupation profile
Occupation-specific
For adjacent-occupation comparison only.
2026-09-19
Verify the difference between oil and gas well service and workover equipment operation and this occupation's drilling and well completion.
For adjacent-occupation comparison only.
O*NET OnLine
United States
O*NET updated 2026; accessed 2026-09-19
official occupation profile
Occupation-specific
For adjacent-occupation comparison only.
2026-09-19
The existing links are department/method/lookup entries and do not replace this occupation's statistics, enterprise systems, or the specific provisions of regulations and standards; this round's added text sources support the nine authorized modules.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
United States
accessed 2026-09-19
official navigation / query entry
Occupation-specific
The first-hand outlook page for this occupation was not obtained this round; no specific figure for this occupation is inferred from an entry page.
2026-09-19
The existing links are department/method/lookup entries and do not replace this occupation's statistics, enterprise systems, or the specific provisions of regulations and standards; this round's added text sources support the nine authorized modules.
State Administration of Work Safety / Ministry of Emergency Management of the People's Republic of China / Chinese government website
Mainland China
Current regulation and industry standards; accessed 2026-09-19
official navigation / query entry
Industry reference
These are drilling and trenching safety and environmental requirements and do not stipulate wage levels; this item is cited by regulation and standard name and verified key points, and article numbers were not verified one by one; the current regulation and standard texts and this project's requirements govern.
2026-09-19
Verify the difference between pile and pile sinking and foundation duties and this occupation's drilling and well completion duties.
For adjacent-occupation comparison only.
O*NET OnLine
United States
O*NET updated 2026; accessed 2026-09-19
official occupation profile
Occupation-specific
For adjacent-occupation comparison only.
2026-09-19
Verify the difference between earthmoving and lifting and paving construction machinery operations and this occupation's drilling operations.
For adjacent-occupation comparison only.
O*NET OnLine
United States
O*NET updated 2026; accessed 2026-09-19
official occupation profile
Occupation-specific
For adjacent-occupation comparison only.
2026-09-19
Verify the difference between general on-site labor duties and this occupation's drilling duties.
For adjacent-occupation comparison only.
O*NET OnLine
United States
O*NET updated 2026; accessed 2026-09-19
official occupation profile
Occupation-specific
For adjacent-occupation comparison only.
2026-09-19
The existing links are department/method/lookup entries and do not replace this occupation's statistics, enterprise systems, or the specific provisions of regulations and standards; this round's added text sources support the nine authorized modules.
State Administration for Market Regulation / Standardization Administration of China / National Public Service Platform for Standards Information
Mainland China
accessed 2026-09-19
official navigation / query entry
Industry reference
A standards lookup entry does not replace the standard texts and this project's requirements, and does not stipulate wage levels.
2026-09-19
The existing links are department/method/lookup entries and do not replace this occupation's statistics, enterprise systems, or the specific provisions of regulations and standards; this round's added text sources support the nine authorized modules.
Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of the People's Republic of China
Mainland China
accessed 2026-09-19
official navigation / query entry
Industry reference
A competent authority entry does not replace position recruitment announcements and this enterprise's systems.
2026-09-19
Verify the difference between blasting operations and this occupation's blasting assistance drilling (blasting operations require separate qualifications).
For adjacent-occupation comparison only.
O*NET OnLine
United States
O*NET updated 2026; accessed 2026-09-19
official occupation profile
Occupation-specific
For adjacent-occupation comparison only.
2026-09-19
The existing links are department/method/lookup entries and do not replace this occupation's statistics, enterprise systems, or the specific provisions of regulations and standards; this round's added text sources support the nine authorized modules.
O*NET OnLine
United States
accessed 2026-09-19
official navigation / query entry
Occupation-specific
Interest assessments are not used for personality diagnosis or hiring decisions.
2026-09-19
National exact wage gap for this occupation in China. NBS2025 construction non-private 92036/ private 66275, and scientific and technical services non-private 182064/ private 83560 yuan per year (on the current Chinese and English original page table 5: 2025=83560, 2024=82387) are pre-tax industry averages respectively; construction/geological/geotechnical positions may be relevant but the unit classification must be verified, and these are not the occupational median/starting pay/monthly wage; they cover 5+ urban legal entities and exclude self-employment and freelance work, and do not exclude all unit piece-rate/part-time/labor dispatch workers.
National Bureau of Statistics of the People's Republic of China
Mainland China
2025; accessed 2026-09-19
official industry wage statistics
Industry reference
National exact wage gap for this occupation in China. NBS2025 construction non-private 92036/ private 66275, and scientific and technical services non-private 182064/ private 83560 yuan per year (on the current Chinese and English original page table 5: 2025=83560, 2024=82387) are pre-tax industry averages respectively; construction/geological/geotechnical positions may be relevant but the unit classification must be verified, and these are not the occupational median/starting pay/monthly wage; they cover 5+ urban legal entities and exclude self-employment and freelance work, and do not exclude all unit piece-rate/part-time/labor dispatch workers.
2026-10-09
Support incorporating system outputs into a governable process: clear purpose, validation, human oversight, record keeping, and risk handling.
Provides risk management methods and does not provide adoption rates, substitution probabilities, or compliance conclusions for this occupation.
U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology
United States
NIST AI 100-1, 2023; accessed 2026-09-19
official guidance
Industry reference
Provides risk management methods and does not provide adoption rates, substitution probabilities, or compliance conclusions for this occupation.
2026-09-19
The existing links are department/method/lookup entries and do not replace this occupation's statistics, enterprise systems, or the specific provisions of regulations and standards; this round's added text sources support the nine authorized modules.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
United States
2025 wage data definition; accessed 2026-09-19
official navigation / query entry
Occupation-specific
A national statistical position is not an individual starting wage or a regional quote.
2026-09-19
All 29 U.S. 47-5023 tasks: 14Core, 14Supplemental, 1New, with importance not given; they may include designing well pump systems/blasting layouts, which is not equivalent to Chinese design/blasting permits.
U.S. O*NET feedback: face-to-face every day 75% / weekly but not daily 18%, continuous contact 39% / most of the time 33%, telephone every day 35% / weekly but not daily 39% / never 22%; accuracy extremely important 16% / very important 50% / important 25%, standing continuously 52% / more than half 23%, hazardous equipment every day 71% / weekly but not daily 17%, ordinary PPE every day 84%, noise every day 65% / weekly but not daily 15%, extreme heat and cold every day 28% / weekly but not daily 39%, all-weather outdoor every day 79%, whole-body vibration every day 42% / weekly but not daily 43%, error extremely serious 52% / very serious 15% / serious 15%, daily decisions 44%, daily time pressure 20%, no competition 33%. Weekly hours >40h 53% / 40h 47%, irregular 61% / regular 36%, which does not prove night shifts or continuous duty for every worker in China. The context is feedback, not an injury occurrence rate or personal risk.
The U.S. O*NET new-hire education feedback is high school/equivalent 73%, less than high school 15%, and postsecondary certificate 12%; Job Zone1—2/SVP<6 is a group preparation description with several days to 1 year of training, not a legal threshold for this occupation or that everyone learns it in a few weeks. BLS2025 exact line typically requires high school, less than 5 years of related experience, and long-term on-the-job training; the two sets of indicators differ, so the group label cannot be used to claim that zero experience is always hired or that short training is universal.
U.S. exact occupation 47-5023: 2025 employment 19500 → 2035 projected 20200, a BLS net increase of about 700 and precise growth of 3.6%; the O*NET national trend rounds to 4%, with the summary category Average3—4%. 2025—2035 annual average 1400 openings include growth and replacement, not a ten-year total, not 1400 net annual additions, and not real-time hiring. The BLS self-employment proportion is '—', not filled in as 0, and it is not inferred that all workers are employed; projections are not Chinese demand, individual hiring, or AI causality.
O*NET OnLine / U.S. Department of Labor
United States
2026 profile; 2025 wages /2025—2035 projection
The existing links are department/method/lookup entries and do not replace this occupation's statistics, enterprise systems, or the specific provisions of regulations and standards; this round's added text sources support the nine authorized modules.
International Labour Organization
Global
ILO 2025; accessed 2026-09-19
official navigation / query entry
market_signal
Does not provide adoption rates, layoff rates, or causal employment evidence for this occupation.
2026-09-19
The existing links are department/method/lookup entries and do not replace this occupation's statistics, enterprise systems, or the specific provisions of regulations and standards; this round's added text sources support the nine authorized modules.
Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of the People's Republic of China
Mainland China
accessed 2026-09-19
editorial method / navigation
Recruitment sample
Recruitment quotes are not an occupation-level statistical definition and do not represent this occupation's median or starting pay.
2026-09-19
The existing links are department/method/lookup entries and do not replace this occupation's statistics, enterprise systems, or the specific provisions of regulations and standards; this round's added text sources support the nine authorized modules.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
United States
accessed 2026-09-19
official navigation / query entry
contextual
A method description is not a specific wage conclusion for this occupation.
2026-09-19
The existing links are department/method/lookup entries and do not replace this occupation's statistics, enterprise systems, or the specific provisions of regulations and standards; this round's added text sources support the nine authorized modules.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
United States
accessed 2026-09-19
official navigation / query entry
contextual
A method description is not a specific wage conclusion for this occupation.
2026-09-19
Used to verify the license and certification and training lookup entry for this occupation.
That page does not list a mandatory certificate for this occupation; taking a post and special operation and safety and environmental requirements follow the enterprise and project and jurisdiction.
O*NET OnLine
United States
accessed 2026-09-19
official guidance
Occupation-specific
That page does not list a mandatory certificate for this occupation; taking a post and special operation and safety and environmental requirements follow the enterprise and project and jurisdiction.
2026-09-19
The existing links are department/method/lookup entries and do not replace this occupation's statistics, enterprise systems, or the specific provisions of regulations and standards; this round's added text sources support the nine authorized modules.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
United States
accessed 2026-09-19
official navigation / query entry
contextual
Does not provide adoption rates, substitution probabilities, or compliance conclusions for this occupation.
2026-09-19
The existing links are department/method/lookup entries and do not replace this occupation's statistics, enterprise systems, or the specific provisions of regulations and standards; this round's added text sources support the nine authorized modules.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
United States
2025 wage data definition; accessed 2026-09-19
official navigation / query entry
contextual
Does not provide adoption rates, substitution probabilities, or compliance conclusions for this occupation.
2026-09-19
The existing links are department/method/lookup entries and do not replace this occupation's statistics, enterprise systems, or the specific provisions of regulations and standards; this round's added text sources support the nine authorized modules.
Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of the People's Republic of China
Mainland China
accessed 2026-09-19
official navigation / query entry
Industry reference
A competent authority entry does not replace the standard and regulation texts and this project's requirements, and does not stipulate wage levels.
2026-09-19
All part-time and full-time employees, straight-time pre-tax, excluding self-employment; includes applicable piece rates / commissions / production bonuses and some allowances, excludes overtime premiums / shift differentials and so on, and does not exclude performance pay across the board. Individual annual hours and take-home pay must be verified separately.
Bureau of Labor Statistics
United States
Current method; searched in this batch 2026-10-09
official occupation data
Occupation-specific
All part-time and full-time employees, straight-time pre-tax, excluding self-employment; includes applicable piece rates / commissions / production bonuses and some allowances, excludes overtime premiums / shift differentials and so on, and does not exclude performance pay across the board. Individual annual hours and take-home pay must be verified separately.
2026-10-09
The Personal Information Protection Law applies to identifiable natural person information, lawful basis, clear purpose, minimum necessity, and secure handling; general organizational documents, business data, and user information cannot all be called sensitive personal information, and health and financial accounts and similar require separate verification of the sensitive scope under Article 28 and necessity, applicable separate consent, and impact assessment. State secrets, trade secrets, and personal information are separate legal concepts; de-identification is not anonymization, and an approved account does not automatically permit uploads to external AI. Other specific clauses on confidentiality, cybersecurity, and data were not verified item by item this round; verify against the real functions and supervisory rules, and do not falsely claim a full compliance review.
National People's Congress / Cyberspace Administration of China
Mainland China
2021 law; actually read in this batch; searched 2026-10-09
official law
contextual
The Personal Information Protection Law applies to identifiable natural person information, lawful basis, clear purpose, minimum necessity, and secure handling; general organizational documents, business data, and user information cannot all be called sensitive personal information, and health and financial accounts and similar require separate verification of the sensitive scope under Article 28 and necessity, applicable separate consent, and impact assessment. State secrets, trade secrets, and personal information are separate legal concepts; de-identification is not anonymization, and an approved account does not automatically permit uploads to external AI. Other specific clauses on confidentiality, cybersecurity, and data were not verified item by item this round; verify against the real functions and supervisory rules, and do not falsely claim a full compliance review.
2026-10-09
Voluntary AI governance recommendations are not industry technical specifications or position authorization for drawings, hole positions, and geological project materials, nor a measurement of tool adoption or efficiency.
NIST
Cross-market
Voluntary framework 1.0; actually read in this batch; searched 2026-10-09
official framework
contextual
Voluntary AI governance recommendations are not industry technical specifications or position authorization for drawings, hole positions, and geological project materials, nor a measurement of tool adoption or efficiency.
2026-10-09
This batch actually read the ILO2025 summary; for this occupation the reliable mapping and scoring between SOC47-5023 and ISCO were not verified, so it is not claimed that the full study has no score; exposure is not adoption, effect, or substitution.
ILO
Cross-market
2025 research summary; actually read in this batch; searched 2026-10-09
official research summary
contextual
This batch actually read the ILO2025 summary; for this occupation the reliable mapping and scoring between SOC47-5023 and ISCO were not verified, so it is not claimed that the full study has no score; exposure is not adoption, effect, or substitution.
2026-10-09
U.S. 47-5023 2025 annual 10/25/50/75/90 percentiles 44460/49900/60190/72450/83800 USD; hourly 21.37/23.99/28.94/34.83/40.29. OEWS employed pre-tax straight-time wages exclude self-employment, include commissions/production bonuses, and exclude overtime premiums; all field/night shift/temperature allowances cannot be excluded across the board, and specific wage items are verified by definition. Percentiles are not starting pay/seniority levels/personal caps.
O*NET / BLS
United States
2025 wages
official wage statistics
Occupation-specific
U.S. 47-5023 2025 annual 10/25/50/75/90 percentiles 44460/49900/60190/72450/83800 USD; hourly 21.37/23.99/28.94/34.83/40.29. OEWS employed pre-tax straight-time wages exclude self-employment, include commissions/production bonuses, and exclude overtime premiums; all field/night shift/temperature allowances cannot be excluded across the board, and specific wage items are verified by definition. Percentiles are not starting pay/seniority levels/personal caps.
2026-10-09
U.S. exact occupation 47-5023: 2025 employment 19500 → 2035 projected 20200, a BLS net increase of about 700 and precise growth of 3.6%; the O*NET national trend rounds to 4%, with the summary category Average3—4%. 2025—2035 annual average 1400 openings include growth and replacement, not a ten-year total, not 1400 net annual additions, and not real-time hiring. The BLS self-employment proportion is '—', not filled in as 0, and it is not inferred that all workers are employed; projections are not Chinese demand, individual hiring, or AI causality.
O*NET / BLS
United States
2025—2035
official employment projections
Occupation-specific
U.S. exact occupation 47-5023: 2025 employment 19500 → 2035 projected 20200, a BLS net increase of about 700 and precise growth of 3.6%; the O*NET national trend rounds to 4%, with the summary category Average3—4%. 2025—2035 annual average 1400 openings include growth and replacement, not a ten-year total, not 1400 net annual additions, and not real-time hiring. The BLS self-employment proportion is '—', not filled in as 0, and it is not inferred that all workers are employed; projections are not Chinese demand, individual hiring, or AI causality.
2026-10-09
U.S. exact occupation 47-5023: 2025 employment 19500 → 2035 projected 20200, a BLS net increase of about 700 and precise growth of 3.6%; the O*NET national trend rounds to 4%, with the summary category Average3—4%. 2025—2035 annual average 1400 openings include growth and replacement, not a ten-year total, not 1400 net annual additions, and not real-time hiring. The BLS self-employment proportion is '—', not filled in as 0, and it is not inferred that all workers are employed; projections are not Chinese demand, individual hiring, or AI causality. The U.S. O*NET new-hire education feedback is high school/equivalent 73%, less than high school 15%, and postsecondary certificate 12%; Job Zone1—2/SVP<6 is a group preparation description with several days to 1 year of training, not a legal threshold for this occupation or that everyone learns it in a few weeks. BLS2025 exact line typically requires high school, less than 5 years of related experience, and long-term on-the-job training; the two sets of indicators differ, so the group label cannot be used to claim that zero experience is always hired or that short training is universal.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
United States
2025—2035
official employment projections
Occupation-specific
U.S. exact occupation 47-5023: 2025 employment 19500 → 2035 projected 20200, a BLS net increase of about 700 and precise growth of 3.6%; the O*NET national trend rounds to 4%, with the summary category Average3—4%. 2025—2035 annual average 1400 openings include growth and replacement, not a ten-year total, not 1400 net annual additions, and not real-time hiring. The BLS self-employment proportion is '—', not filled in as 0, and it is not inferred that all workers are employed; projections are not Chinese demand, individual hiring, or AI causality. The U.S. O*NET new-hire education feedback is high school/equivalent 73%, less than high school 15%, and postsecondary certificate 12%; Job Zone1—2/SVP<6 is a group preparation description with several days to 1 year of training, not a legal threshold for this occupation or that everyone learns it in a few weeks. BLS2025 exact line typically requires high school, less than 5 years of related experience, and long-term on-the-job training; the two sets of indicators differ, so the group label cannot be used to claim that zero experience is always hired or that short training is universal.
Editorial candidates: verifying task/hole position data extraction, parameter table checking, and sampling and maintenance record organization; real data and an approved plan and manual on-site verification are required. Deployment/efficiency/missed-entry reduction/substitution were not verified; measurement/conventional calculation/mechanical control are not necessarily GenAI. O*NET lists 4 categories of software: GPS, Office, Excel, Word; the Hot3 items show no proportions of the denominator of all unique U.S. occupation postings in 2025 and are not filled in as 0. ILO exposure is not adoption or layoffs, and NIST governance is not a drilling compliance permit.
O*NET / Lightcast
United States
2025 recruitment
job posting skill statistics
Occupation-specific
Editorial candidates: verifying task/hole position data extraction, parameter table checking, and sampling and maintenance record organization; real data and an approved plan and manual on-site verification are required. Deployment/efficiency/missed-entry reduction/substitution were not verified; measurement/conventional calculation/mechanical control are not necessarily GenAI. O*NET lists 4 categories of software: GPS, Office, Excel, Word; the Hot3 items show no proportions of the denominator of all unique U.S. occupation postings in 2025 and are not filled in as 0. ILO exposure is not adoption or layoffs, and NIST governance is not a drilling compliance permit.
2026-10-09
Order No. 35 as amended by Order No. 78 applies to geological exploration of metal and non-metal minerals and does not apply to exploration in producing mines; Article 7 requires a safety permit for construction units undertaking drilling or exploration by excavation within that scope, Article 8 requires written reports, Article 9 covers systems, and Articles 18/19 cover protection, rescue, and emergency response. Article 11 requires special personnel to receive dedicated training, assessment, and the corresponding certificate; Article 12 requires personnel undertaking exploration by excavation to receive at least 72h initially and 20h of annual retraining, and this is not extended to all surface drillers. Article 15 requires a special safety chapter and review for the design of exploration by excavation, and this is not extended to general water wells or all earth boring. The 2017 geological exploration qualification approval has been cancelled, and a 2025 public reply from the Ministry of Natural Resources confirms that solid mineral exploration units and personnel have no such access threshold; the old 'qualification certificate' can no longer be listed as a current general condition, and this does not exempt safety permits or special operation certification. The current reporting materials, competent authorities, and local processing are verified separately.
Former State Administration of Work Safety / Ministry of Emergency Management
Mainland China
Implemented 2011; amended 2015
official regulation
Industry reference
Order No. 35 as amended by Order No. 78 applies to geological exploration of metal and non-metal minerals and does not apply to exploration in producing mines; Article 7 requires a safety permit for construction units undertaking drilling or exploration by excavation within that scope, Article 8 requires written reports, Article 9 covers systems, and Articles 18/19 cover protection, rescue, and emergency response. Article 11 requires special personnel to receive dedicated training, assessment, and the corresponding certificate; Article 12 requires personnel undertaking exploration by excavation to receive at least 72h initially and 20h of annual retraining, and this is not extended to all surface drillers. Article 15 requires a special safety chapter and review for the design of exploration by excavation, and this is not extended to general water wells or all earth boring. The 2017 geological exploration qualification approval has been cancelled, and a 2025 public reply from the Ministry of Natural Resources confirms that solid mineral exploration units and personnel have no such access threshold; the old 'qualification certificate' can no longer be listed as a current general condition, and this does not exempt safety permits or special operation certification. The current reporting materials, competent authorities, and local processing are verified separately.
Public reply of 2025-11-11: 2017 Guo Fa 46 cancelled the exploration qualification approval, and solid mineral units/personnel no longer have that access requirement; regulations, standards, and safety and ecological requirements still apply. Exemption from safety permits cannot be inferred.
Ministry of Natural Resources / Tongliao Municipal Natural Resources Bureau
Mainland China
2025-11-11
official policy explanation
Industry reference
Public reply of 2025-11-11: 2017 Guo Fa 46 cancelled the exploration qualification approval, and solid mineral units/personnel no longer have that access requirement; regulations, standards, and safety and ecological requirements still apply. Exemption from safety permits cannot be inferred.
2026-10-09
AQ2004-2005 platform current/mandatory; clause 1 covers Chinese geological exploration (excluding oil and gas geological exploration) and explicitly does not apply to using the technology in other industries, so the U.S. code scope is not fully mapped onto the standard scope. Actually read: 4.5 requires geological exploration units to provide field survival and self- and mutual-rescue skills training at least once every two years for field personnel; the project team provides safety education before each field deployment or before changing regions, 4.7 protective equipment, 4.8 health examinations; 10.1/10.2 rig foundation and drill frame installation and handling, 10.4.1 equipment protection inspection before spudding, 10.4.2 prohibition of cleaning, disassembling, or repairing and of stepping over drive belts while rotating, 10.4.3 shutting down before repairing high-pressure hoses; 10.5.2 in-hole accidents are handled by the rig team leader or an experienced technician under dedicated command while others evacuate, and 10.7.8 electrical repair requires power disconnection with lockout tagging or an attendant. Specific designs/equipment/new versions of cited standards are verified separately, and this page is not an operating manual.
Former State Administration of Work Safety / Shandong Bureau of the National Mine Safety Administration
Mainland China
Implemented 2005-05-01; the listed chapters were actually read
official standard
Industry reference
AQ2004-2005 platform current/mandatory; clause 1 covers Chinese geological exploration (excluding oil and gas geological exploration) and explicitly does not apply to using the technology in other industries, so the U.S. code scope is not fully mapped onto the standard scope. Actually read: 4.5 requires geological exploration units to provide field survival and self- and mutual-rescue skills training at least once every two years for field personnel; the project team provides safety education before each field deployment or before changing regions, 4.7 protective equipment, 4.8 health examinations; 10.1/10.2 rig foundation and drill frame installation and handling, 10.4.1 equipment protection inspection before spudding, 10.4.2 prohibition of cleaning, disassembling, or repairing and of stepping over drive belts while rotating, 10.4.3 shutting down before repairing high-pressure hoses; 10.5.2 in-hole accidents are handled by the rig team leader or an experienced technician under dedicated command while others evacuate, and 10.7.8 electrical repair requires power disconnection with lockout tagging or an attendant. Specific designs/equipment/new versions of cited standards are verified separately, and this page is not an operating manual.
The page was current/mandatory on 2026-10-09, published 2005-02-21 and implemented 2005-05-01. A lookup page only proves identity status, not specific operations.
National Center for Standards Technical Review
Mainland China
2026-10-09
official standard catalogue
Industry reference
The page was current/mandatory on 2026-10-09, published 2005-02-21 and implemented 2005-05-01. A lookup page only proves identity status, not specific operations.
2026-10-09
Articles 44/45 of the Chinese Work Safety Law require the unit to inform workers of hazards and provide compliant PPE, and Article 54 allows refusal of illegal commands or forced risk-taking; Article 55 allows stopping or taking necessary emergency measures and then evacuating when personal danger is immediate, without requiring registration, reporting, or approval beforehand; Articles 57/58 require following procedures, correct PPE, and training, and Article 59 requires hazards to be reported immediately to on-site safety management or the unit head. Suspension/restart of ordinary quality problems and the professional signing position must be verified against the real project systems; these were not obtained this round, and no uniform final authority can be granted to the team leader, geologist, repair, or inspection.
Standing Committee of the National People's Congress / Ministry of Emergency Management
Mainland China
Implemented 2021-09-01
official law
Industry reference
Articles 44/45 of the Chinese Work Safety Law require the unit to inform workers of hazards and provide compliant PPE, and Article 54 allows refusal of illegal commands or forced risk-taking; Article 55 allows stopping or taking necessary emergency measures and then evacuating when personal danger is immediate, without requiring registration, reporting, or approval beforehand; Articles 57/58 require following procedures, correct PPE, and training, and Article 59 requires hazards to be reported immediately to on-site safety management or the unit head. Suspension/restart of ordinary quality problems and the professional signing position must be verified against the real project systems; these were not obtained this round, and no uniform final authority can be granted to the team leader, geologist, repair, or inspection.
2026-10-09
The observation, training route, and possible consequences/candidate trials are editorial judgments, not recruitment samples, regulatory operating procedures, or individual success rates.
FermatMind author for this round
Global
Actually read 2026-10-09
Editorial design
Editorial synthesis
The observation, training route, and possible consequences/candidate trials are editorial judgments, not recruitment samples, regulatory operating procedures, or individual success rates.
2026-10-09
| Verify the safety measures and special chapter and systems against the procedures and regulation and this project's design documents. |
| Compliance and rectification time. |
| This item is cited by standard and regulation name and verified key points, and article numbers were not verified one by one. |
official occupation profile
Occupation-specific
U.S. exact occupation data; it does not define Chinese qualifications, wages, or standards and qualifications.
2026-10-09
2026-10-09
2026-10-09
2026-10-09