Oil rig workers throwing the chain

[pollutance]

Yeah I’d be dead or severely injured within a minute of being there.

[smilebubba]

That man is so skilled. He caught a chain with his foot. I hope he has a loving significant other.

[dntreply]

These guys are literally responcible for obtaining the worlds energy through these oil rigs. Thered be no economy without these guys doing their jobs.

[billdurkin]

There is nothing easy about this job, you can tell they are experienced.

[quinnfell]

This is honestly one of the most impressive shows of workmanship I've ever seen.

[YaozAgmon]

We need more women to work on oil rigs. Where are the feminists?

[ronniebray]

The only job still around where health and safety dates back to 1901

[brainisfullofnonsense]

To explain what you are seeing, the video starts with them taking two pieces of drilling pipe apart. The one above is the male threaded part and the bottom is the female part of the joint. The top one is not a part that goes into the ground though. It is part of the drilling rug and is the part that powers the spinning of the pipes below as well as supplies the fluid to flush out what has been drilled out. So to put in another section of pipe they have to first disconnect the pipe from the rig, attach the rig to a new piece of pipe, and (off screen to the right) then lift that pipe up as high as it is long, then attach that new section (the one coming from above) to the one already in the ground. Thats why he is using a dauber to apply thread lubricant to the end. The big clamps are used to lift the pipe, and the chains are there to tighten the threaded fitting. When you wrap something like a rope or chain around something you can hold a lot of force to twist the pipes together with just your hands. The more wraps of chain around the pipe the less he has to pull to get the joint tight. It is a force mulitplier in effect. They don't do this every minute of the day, but when they have drilled the length of a section of pipe, 40 feet is pretty standard if I'm not mistaken. So it depends on what they are drilling through as to how often they need to add a section. You can blow through sand but rock takes a lot longer.

Knowing that they are cousins and have obviously worked together before makes their coordinated 'ballet' even more elegant to me. I can appreciate the little verbal checks they have developed. I don't think that it is as super-safe as office jobs where carpel tunnel syndrome and paper cuts are the big risk factors, but although mistakes could lead to dismemberment and death, they are aware of all the pieces and are not taking any unnecessary risks that I could see. They are working quickly and effectively because every minute of time they are changing over to a new section is another minute that they are not drilling, and THAT is what they are getting paid for... I like the kick to the pipe to get the parts seated togethet. Faster and WAY safer than using your hands or shoulder.

[lee]

This is the sexiest thing ever. Thank you men for your hard work.

[andrewh]

Most people have no idea what’s happening here. God bless the oil workers

[tifu]

Me: “Honey, my office job is a real hassle.”
Oil rig worker: “Honey, my shift is done. Great news .... still have two arms!”

[marshallelliott]

They deserve every single dollar they receive if not more!

[lukereedy]

I remember my first day working on an oil rig a dude snapped his arm clean in half it was the craziest thing I’ve seen in my life

[itsnizzy]

That looks like the most dangerous shit I've ever seen.

[christopherjohnson]

ok ladies fall in line now . equal chains equal gains lmao

[rooneyrythm]

WHILST everything is slick covered in oil.

[Rado]

Man this is crazy. No wonder they get paid the big bucks.

[samaelsandalphon]

Ah, the beautiful dance that makes the world go round.

[lapislazuli]

This is just one dangerous aspect of these oil jobs. My dad once saw a guy get his guts blown out of his abdomen by some sort of high pressure valve. In over 40 years of working in oil he says it’s the worst shit he’s seen.

[fishinglifeforme]

Noticed how he stepped on the chain to avoid getting caught up in it. Now that is some awareness