Roustabout is the worker who maintains all things in the oil field. He or she sets up oil well "heads," oil lead, lines connected to stock tanks. Roustabouts will maintain salt water disposal pumps, lease roads, lease mowing, create dikes around tank batteries on a lease, etc. An oil roustabout has no limits in the oil industry and can, and will do any and all oil field work, including roughneck drilling, oil well completion and well service, and even chemical work. An oil field roustabout will also do all things that an oil field "pumper" would have to do. IBOEHS USA approved Roustabout program is a five days program which enables the beginners to start their Oil & Gas career with limited supervision.

"Roustabout" is also an official classification of natural gas and oil rig personnel. Roustabouts working in oil fields typically perform various jobs requiring little training. However, they frequently turn out to be long-term employees and take on more difficult and sometimes dangerous jobs as they gain experience. Most go on to at least become "roughnecks" if they work for the rig company for more than a few months.