Maggie's Farm

And yeah, some serious teamwork.

There is more teamwork and a sense of camaraderie on an oil rig than in most workplaces because of the consequences. If you or someone else messes up, death or injury can result. "We are counting on you to make sure we stay alive" is a very strong motivator for teamwork.

I knew a fellow employee who, after he moved on to another part of the company, worked on the Ocean Ranger. He was on his week off the Ocean Ranger when it sank. Had the work schedule been somewhat different, he could have been on the Ocean Ranger when it sank. I worked in Guatemala in a zone that had hydrogen sulfide in the formations. The rig had technicians monitoring hydrogen sulfide. We all got safety training for dealing with hydrogen sulfide. The year after I left Guatemala, there were some hydrogen sulfide fatalities in the zone where I used to work. There but for fortune go I.

The potential of death definitely improves work ethic and teamwork.

Small world. Thanks for the story.

Brings back memories. Which reminds me of the old joke: A drilling rig is loaded with drugs.
1) The joints are 30 feet long.
2) The dope comes in five gallon cans.
3) There's a pusher on every rig.

Joints: the ~30 feet long pipes that make up a drill string. The connection film showed a joint being added to the drill string.
Pipe dope: lubricating grease added to pipe thread to avoid metal damage. The film showed pipe dope being slathered on the pipe thread before the joint was added to the drill string.
Tool pusher: rig foreman.
Tour [pronounced "tower"] pusher: shift foreman.