Basic rules
- An employee’s hours of work must be confined within a period of 16 consecutive hours in a workday.
- An employee can request their hours of work to be confined within a period of 12 consecutive hours in any workday.
- An employee must receive 8 consecutive hours of rest immediately following completion of a shift that is longer than 12 consecutive hours.
Mobile workover
A mobile workover or completion service drilling operations employee is someone employed in work:
- performed with a mounted mobile service rig or completion service rig, including the moving of the worksite and rig
- This does not include the actual drilling of a well.
The following are not considered mobile workover or completion service drilling operations employees:
- office or administrative employees
Hours of work and pay
Minimum standards for hours of work
The maximum daily hours of work that mobile workover or completion service drilling operations employees may be scheduled to work is 16 hours, unless an accident occurs, urgent work is necessary to a plant or machinery, or other unforeseeable or unpreventable circumstances occur.
An employee can request their hours of work to be confined within a period of 12 consecutive hours in any one workday.
Rest periods
Employee must receive at least 8 consecutive hours of rest immediately following completion of a shift that is longer than 12 consecutive hours.
While these employees may work up to 16 hours per day, the following should be considered:
- The employer and employee must comply with safe work practices in accordance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Occupational Health and Safety Code.
- Under Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) legislation, an employer must ensure the health and safety of its workers. This includes monitoring hours of work if extended hours of work can affect the health and safety of a worker or their co-workers.
- Workers have a right and a responsibility to refuse work if it appears unsafe.
- For information about fatigue and safety, please see the Workplace Health and Safety Bulletin, Fatigue and Safety at the Workplace. You can get a copy of this publication from any OHS office in Alberta. Call the OHS Contact Centre toll-free at 1-866-415-8690 to find an office near you.
Some mobile workover or completion service drilling operations employees may be subject to either the federal or provincial Drivers' Hours of Service Regulations, which govern the maximum driving times and minimum off-duty times of commercial vehicle drivers (both bus and truck).
For more information on drivers hours of service, contact Carrier Services:
Phone: 403-340-5444
Toll free: 310-0000 before the phone number (in Alberta)
Fax: 403-340-4806
Email: [email protected]
Additional Employment Standards
In addition to the special provisions outlined above, all other minimum standards for employment apply to mobile workover or completion service drilling operations employees. Learn more about these rules on the following Alberta government web pages:
- Deductions from earnings
- Hours of work and rest
- Job-protected leaves
- Minimum wage
- Overtime hours and overtime pay
- Payment of earnings
- Termination and termination pay
- Vacations and vacation pay
- Youth employment laws
How the law applies
Part 3, Division 12 of the Employment Standards Regulation outlines the provisions that apply to mobile workover or completion service drilling operations.
Disclaimer: In the event of any discrepancy between this information and Alberta Employment Standards legislation, the legislation is considered correct.