How to become a well driller or borer and related mining worker
Official title: Well driller/borer and related mining worker
Also called: Acidiser (oil and gas wells), Borer (oil and gas wells), Cable driller (oil and gas wells), Caser (oil and gas wells), Casing puller (oil and gas wells), Deep-boring machine operator, Derrickman (oil and gas wells), Drilling machine operator (mine and quarry), Fishing-tool operator (oil and gas wells), Jackhammer driller (mine and quarry), Miner, Mining plant operator
Well driller/borer and related mining worker operates, assembles and monitors machines for cutting channels in a mine workface or for the drilling and sinking of wells, extraction of ore, liquids and gases or for a variety of other purposes.
Main tasks
- Operating and monitoring machinery and equipment used for continuous mining or for drilling holes or cutting channels in a mine or quarry workface
- Operating and monitoring machinery and equipment used for the drilling and sinking of wells
- Dismantling, moving and assembling drilling rigs and auxiliary equipment
- Assembling and dismantling pipes, casings and drill heads and replacing dysfunctional equipment
- Preparing drilling fluid and checking the operation of pumps to ensure adequate circulation of fluid in drill pipes and wells
- Maintaining records of drilling and servicing operations
- Closing and sealing wells no longer in use
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
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Questions people ask
Will AI change the work of a well driller or borer and related mining worker?
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Updated 4 October 2026