Anybody here work (operate) in an Oil Refinery?

B

bigraydaddy1

Guest
I have worked in a food grade chemical plant for the past 20+ years, and I have a chance to get into a refinery in Northern Indiana, possibly. What is the job like, what are the different departments, good jobs-bad jobs, give me the rundown of what to expect if I am selected. The job would be an operator position, and I know I would be out in the field. Now I sit in a control room, and chill, making a finished product. I am familiar with work orders, line entries, lockout-tagout, tank isolation, and the such. It's a paycut at first, but I have a chance to make more $$$ in a couple years. Just wondering your experiences so I have an idea what I am getting into.

Thanks. :redface:
 
The Mayberry is a refinery of sorts.

Oil checks up in here like water son.
 
I worked in the oilfields in Alberta for almost two years. The pay was great. I've heard pretty shitty stories about working in the oil industry in the northern United States, though, including horrible pay. In fact, what I've heard convinces me I'd NEVER work there for even a few months. Do your research.
 
bigraydaddy1 said:
I have worked in a food grade chemical plant for the past 20+ years, and I have a chance to get into a refinery in Northern Indiana, possibly. What is the job like, what are the different departments, good jobs-bad jobs, give me the rundown of what to expect if I am selected. The job would be an operator position, and I know I would be out in the field. Now I sit in a control room, and chill, making a finished product. I am familiar with work orders, line entries, lockout-tagout, tank isolation, and the such. It's a paycut at first, but I have a chance to make more $$$ in a couple years. Just wondering your experiences so I have an idea what I am getting into.

Thanks. :redface:
Click to expand...

I'm a Pipeline Operator but before that I did a lot of contract work in refineries and my dad retired after many years as an Operator.

Depending on which Unit you get assigned it can either be a REALLY laid back job... or it can be semi-difficult. You don't go outside a ton... but some Units more than others.

I've definitely got it better than a Refinery Operator... but all in all they are really pretty cushy jobs... just the rotating shifts can get to you if you aren't used to it.
 
I haven't. But my uncle was apparently working on one back in the day. This was in Norway.

All I know, dude had some spare cash.
 
Are you talking about the Whiting Refinery? BP did a ton of restructuring this year, not only in exploration. I know that the Chicago HPC group got hit hard
 
As the Chinese guy said "Ed Zachary."

Exactly. Is there something I should know? They are hiring to replace retiring worker. I know they did some expansion work, and expanded the plant.

What's the Chicago HPC group? Google search turned up nothing.
 
Refinery operator job is very similar to what you described, it will be an easy transition as far as the actual job tasks.

Not sure what your schedule is now, but most refinery operators work rotating schedules and 12 hour shifts. So you will go from nights to days and so on and so forth, usually with a week off per month. Without overtime, typically you work 14 days a month.

Awesome job if you are ok with the varying schedules. I am going for a maintenance position with Chevron right now, but operations will be my backup.

Edit: Elaborating a bit, you will sit in the control room for most of your shift similar to what you do now. What you do in the plant is a lot of signing off on work permits, turning valves, checking gauges, etc.
 
Worked a bit out in the fields here in Bakersfield. Brutal work during the summer.
 
Operators dont do any physical labor though.
 
Depends on the plant honestly. Sometimes operators are out in the sun a lot, sometimes not.
 
PUO3 said:
Refinery operator job is very similar to what you described, it will be an easy transition as far as the actual job tasks.

Not sure what your schedule is now, but most refinery operators work rotating schedules and 12 hour shifts. So you will go from nights to days and so on and so forth, usually with a week off per month. Without overtime, typically you work 14 days a month.

Awesome job if you are ok with the varying schedules. I am going for a maintenance position with Chevron right now, but operations will be my backup.

Edit: Elaborating a bit, you will sit in the control room for most of your shift similar to what you do now. What you do in the plant is a lot of signing off on work permits, turning valves, checking gauges, etc.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply. I do work swing shift now, a 7 day rotation they call it (7 days on, 2 days off, 7 days on, 1 day off, 7 days on 4 days off), and we do work 12's when someone is on vacation. And I believe they run closer to a "southern swing", which is more like you described, with a lot of 12 hrs. I also think the 12 hrs. is all at straight time, with OT coming if you work more than 12, or work your days off. I'll lose my 2 time and a half Sundays and my one double time Sunday a month it seems. Plus I'll lose my 5 weeks vacation, until I build up time in the refinery. :icon_sad:

It is an opportunity to make more $$$$ in the long run, I'm at $31 /hr now, but at the refinery I can be up to $39 /hr in a few (5 at most) years. I''ll never be at $39 in my current job ( it would take 10 years or more based on our 2 1/2 % pay raises.)

They refinery gives higher raises each year, and hours worked.
 
PUO3 said:
Operators dont do any physical labor though.
Click to expand...

From what I hear, the "senior operators" sit in the control room, and the least senior operators are "field operators", work opening and closing valves for the control room operators, and getting the outside contractors or maintenance ready to do work (locking out pumps, line entries, etc) and walking around making sure pumps aren't leaking and such.

Thanks for your reply. I appreciate all feedback.

I'm also worried with the drop in the price of oil, there maybe be layoffs, maybe. Last hired, first fired. But we (50 or so) are getting hired to replace retirees. Maybe that helps with not being laid off.
 
I worked in an oil refinery for 6 months (google search for Pulau Bukom).

I did not like it. Im actually a civil engineer in construction but shell were expanding the existing refinery so we were laying the foundations for the new equipment, flare, building cooling water towers etc amongst the refinery that was still in operation.

Basically I was on the site every day breathing in I dont know what kind of shit. I felt sick every day and most of the veterans worling on that island have some kind of cancer. And its fucking hot man, its already hot here in singapore. Not to mention I had to take a ferry to work every day haha.
I will never work in a refinery again but like I said - its not an area I was ever interested in anyway.

good luck
 
Katsumi Yamada said:
I worked in an oil refinery for 6 months (google search for Pulau Bukom).

I did not like it. Im actually a civil engineer in construction but shell were expanding the existing refinery so we were laying the foundations for the new equipment, flare, building cooling water towers etc amongst the refinery that was still in operation.

Basically I was on the site every day breathing in I dont know what kind of shit. I felt sick every day and most of the veterans worling on that island have some kind of cancer. And its fucking hot man, its already hot here in singapore. Not to mention I had to take a ferry to work every day haha.
I will never work in a refinery again but like I said - its not an area I was ever interested in anyway.

good luck
Click to expand...

No offense, but that are the environmental stands in Singapore? The EPA here is pretty strict. My stepmother worked in the office at the refinery, and I've never heard her say anything about people getting cancer "from working there". Of course even healthy people can get cancer. Of course she couldn't give me very much info on what the job was like in the plant, I just know people made decent $$$.
 
Someone recently tried to make me feel bad that the oil industries have been dealing with major layoffs recently. It didn't work.
 
I work at a shell refinery and have been for last 2 years. Actually its a chemical plant that is attached to a refinery but same type of deal. Work is very similar to what you described, personally if I am going to be doing an operator job I would only want to work for a oil company. Oil companies make the most therefor they usually pay the most. Money is great, lots of overtime if you want it, and I love shift work. I work rotating 3's. I work 3 days, get 3 days off, work 3 nights, 3 days off, work 3 days....etc rinse and repeat 365 days a year steady.

I am an outside operator but hopefully within next 4 years I will be at top rate and a console operator. The oil industry is doing layoffs, shell is cutting 6500 jobs supposedly this year but that is mainly management roles.
 
xRoccax said:
I work at a shell refinery and have been for last 2 years. Actually its a chemical plant that is attached to a refinery but same type of deal. Work is very similar to what you described, personally if I am going to be doing an operator job I would only want to work for a oil company. Oil companies make the most therefor they usually pay the most. Money is great, lots of overtime if you want it, and I love shift work. I work rotating 3's. I work 3 days, get 3 days off, work 3 nights, 3 days off, work 3 days....etc rinse and repeat 365 days a year steady.

I am an outside operator but hopefully within next 4 years I will be at top rate and a console operator. The oil industry is doing layoffs, shell is cutting 6500 jobs supposedly this year but that is mainly management roles.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply. So I suppose you like it. PM me if you can.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
1,237,044
Messages
55,463,552
Members
174,786
Latest member
JoyceOuthw

Share this page

Back
Top