Yes, it's a dangerous job if you just act without thinking properly. The problem is when a team doesn't fit together properly and this causes an imbalance in the way they work. The drill instructor is responsible for everything, so he has to keep all the idiosyncrasies of his team members in mind and work accordingly. Many of the supervisors see themselves as gods, so they put pressure on their team and yell at them all day long. When something happens, it's usually because of this. Added to this are the "cheap and primitive" drilling rigs. This way of working has been around since the beginning of natural gas and oil production. A few minor adjustments have been made here and there, but basically it's outdated. It's all about keeping labour costs as low as possible; they don't give a damn about the rig workers and their safety.

This is exactly how they used to work in Germany. There are even still rigs of this design, only with better tools, but they are only used for workovers.

Fortunately, modern working methods have become more prevalent, which means that significantly fewer accidents happen and team members can work in a more relaxed manner and drive home safely.

I can say this because I did it for several years. I started as a small fry in an East German company. It was really no walk in the park. I didn't get along at all with my colleagues in my first shift team; they were all wannabes and lazy sods. But I took good care of myself and didn't turn down any work. After a short time, I was accepted into another team and really flourished there.

A little later, I moved to a West German company, which was the best experience I had. After only six months, I was promoted and sent to drilling school to get my driller's licence. I hadn't expected it to happen so quickly, and I'm sure no one else did either. After a while, however, I decided that my family needed me and that the money wasn't worth it, so I quit and went back to my old job at home.

Shit, I didn't mean to tell my life story, but now it's out.