Drilling Rigger Competence Assessment Standard

This Product is for personnel that wish to become OPITO certified competent Drilling Riggers - having previously completed the OPITO Rigger Initial Training and Drilling Rigger Workplace Experience Log Book, and/or possess sufficient and relevant work experience to be eligible for the OPITO Drilling Rigger Competence Assessment.

This Product is to establish that the learner has the required underpinning knowledge, understanding and practical skills to fulfill the role of Drilling Rigger safely and effectively.

Learners for the Drilling Rigger competence assessment must possess:

Option 1

(a) A valid OPITO-approved Rigger Initial Training Certificate awarded within the previous 32 months.

And

(b) A fully completed and valid OPITO Drilling Rigger Workplace Experience Logbook and supporting evidence for each of the 45 tasks*, such as a copy of the lifting plan, permit or toolbox, based on the OPITO Rigger Initial Training Standard and Drilling Rigger Workplace Experience Logbook Requirements requirements, which has been signed as true and valid by the employing company head of discipline or the employing company discipline manager and confirmed by the Centre as being present and correct prior to assessment taking place.

Or

(c) If a learner completed the Initial Training Standard (previously Stage 1) between February 29th, 2020, and February 28th, 2022 and does not have a completed Workplace Experience Logbook, a formal letter from a current employer, meeting the below criteria, may be accepted.

The letter must:

1)Be on company letterhead

2)State that the learner has met the equivalent of the OPITO (previously Stage 2) Workplace Experience Logbook criteria

3)Include details of the senior employer representative’s position in the company, full contact details, and be signed and dated by the senior employer’s representative

4)Be sent directly from the employer to the Centre prior to assessment and not provided by the Learner

Option 2

(d) An OPITO Approved Drilling Rigger Competence Assessment or Re-Assessment Certificate awarded within the previous 30 months.

Note 1: Learners who possess an OPITO Drilling Rigger or Rigger Assessment or Re-Assessment Certificate (or equivalent) which has expired by more than 6 months will be required to attend the OPITO Rigger Initial Training prior to undertaking the Drilling Rigger Competence Assessment. In these instances, there will be no requirement to complete a Work Experience Logbook.

Medical entry requirements

Training and/or assessment activities contained within this Product may include physically demanding and potentially stressful elements. All personnel who participate in such activities must be capable of participating fully.

Therefore, OPITO-approved Centres are required, to ensure that prior to participating in practical exercises the learner undergoes medical screening by completing an appropriate medical screening form provided by the OPITO-approved Centre

The OPITO-approved Centre shall keep a record of the learner’s declaration of fitness in accordance with their document control policy(s) or procedures.

This information, along with summary details of the type of physical activities the learner will be asked to perform, will be given to learners by the OPITO-approved Centre and, if applicable, to their sponsoring company as part of the joining instructions. The responsibility for declaring any current or pre-existing medical conditions that could have adverse effects to the individual’s state of health while undertaking the training and/or assessment activities lies with the learner and/or company sponsoring the learner.

Where doubt exists regarding the fitness of any learner, the OPITO-approved Centre should direct the individual to consult a medical officer familiar with the nature and extent of the training.

Note: Practical exercises should be designed and delivered solely to meet this Product, and must not place on the learners any demands other than those required to meet the Product.

To achieve the OPITO Drilling Rigger Competence Assessment Standard the learner will need to complete the 2 mandatory units.

Each learner will be expected to lead two drilling related lifting tasks and assist with two drilling related lifting tasks.

Each drilling related lifting task should be of approximately one and a half hours duration.

Note: Where assessment is conducted in the workplace it must be completed within one trip or hitch; the length of the trip/hitch would depend on individual company work cycles.

Drilling Rigger Competence Reassessment 

Please refer to Drilling Rigger Training and Assessment Framework also.

2 years

Please note: If the expiry date on the learners previous certificate is within 3 months prior of the course enrolment date then the date of the new certificate should correspond with the expiry date of the existing/previous certificate unless stated otherwise by the Duty Holder or Asset Owner or Operator.