What Is Foundation Drilling?

Purpose

• Foundation drillers fall into the earth driller category of jobs. They can drill simply to make a hole for a support structure, or they can drill to develop wells or recover natural resources. The only things they don't drill for is oil and gas. They often are employed in the construction field, but foundation drillers also can find work in other fields, such as mining, landfill management and geological research, extracting core samples for analysis.

Job Qualifications

• Drill operators need experience working with a variety of drills, including hydraulic, rotary and pneumatic. These workers often also are experienced in the use of other heavy machinery, such as cranes and pile drivers. While often a high school diploma and machinery-specific qualifications are all that are needed for such jobs, companies sometimes require that drill operators also have their CDL licenses.

Job Duties

• A drill operator bores holes into the ground in accordance with specifications set forth by engineers. This is not as simple as it may sound, however. Operating industrial drills requires knowledge of how to attach drill bits and rods, and what sizes to use for drilling at different depths. They also must know how to drill through different materials of varying hardness and they must know how to evaluate soil conditions. Drill operators also must be able to perform general maintenance on the equipment they use. Inserting casings and other materials into the holes they drill, flushing loose earth from drill sites and monitoring drill site depth in relation to water table levels often are part of the job.

The Field

• The International Association of Foundation Drilling is the main professional trade association for people in this profession. Members include contractors, manufacturers, suppliers, design engineers and specialty subcontractors. Because so many foundation drilling jobs are part of the larger construction umbrella, such jobs become more difficult to find in a sagging economy where not much new construction is being done. However, because the duties performed by people who work in the foundation drilling field have applicability beyond construction, they often can apply their skills in other work settings.