It is a finding that seems to defy common sense. Even as industries like oil and gas exploration and air travel slow to a crawl, the amount of methane – one of the most potent greenhouse gases (GHGs) in existence – in Earth’s atmosphere surges. Measurements over South Sudan show methane levels jump from around 1,840 ppb in late 2019 to a peak of over 1,910 ppb at the end of 2020[1]. It is a puzzle that will take over two years to solve – which brings us to 2023, and the troubling findings that reveal methane emissions as an even more insidious threat than previously thought.

The mystery of methane

It is understandable why it has taken researchers over two years to explain why this sharp rise of methane into the Earth’s atmosphere, even as most of the world seemingly ground to a halt. Indeed, emissions of carbon dioxide – a similarly notorious GHG which, while significantly less potent than methane, is also much more abundant – did fall as the world’s heavy industries wound down, as expected.

The answer is that, while anthropogenic (human-caused) methane emissions did fall in line with the world’s reduced natural gas consumption, natural emissions did not. Emissions from wetlands, caused by biomass breaking down and methane-producing algae, among other naturally-occurring phenomena, rose by the highest amount since records began.
These findings, published in the Nature journal, paint a troubling picture. A kilogram of methane emitted into the atmosphere can trap more than a hundred times more heat than a kilogram of emitted CO2. This is because methane’s molecular structure can absorb more energy than CO2 and because methane forms other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, most notably in the tropospheric ozone.

Much of this methane comes from microbes in wetlands. As these microbes break down biomass and reproduce, they produce methane. A warm, wet climate across large parts of the northern hemisphere meant there were more of these wetlands than ever before in 2020 – and there will continue to be more in future.

Further complicating this picture is the finding that burning fossil fuels can actually help control the amount of methane in the atmosphere. It sounds counter-intuitive, but the Nature Journal paper details how the burning of fossil fuels creates nitrogen oxide, which produces hydroxyl radical molecules when it enters the atmosphere. These molecules break down methane, meaning the reduction in fossil fuels consumed during 2020 – perversely – actually allowed methane concentrations to increase.
The point of all this is not to take a defeatist stance, nor is it to absolve heavy polluters of responsibility. Indeed, global warming is creating more wetland regions as permafrost around the polar regions thaws. The rapid thaw is causing giant craters to form in the earth, creating pockets of waterlogged marshland known as thermokarst, which provide even more habitats for methane-emitting microbes to thrive.

The point is that simply cutting methane emissions is much more complex than it sounds. The solutions to this problem are multi-layered, confusing, and often contradictory. Simply plugging leaky pipelines and limiting agricultural emissions, while important, is not enough to stop the vicious cycle of increasing methane emissions. Trying to navigate this already perplexing landscape without a solid foundation of accurate, up-to-date data to inform the right route forward is like trying to find a shadow in the dark – frankly, it is impossible.

Lasting the distance with data

It is incumbent on all industries – particularly those that produce a lot of emissions, like oil, gas, and agriculture – to come to an agreement on several things. This is a global issue, and so it requires a global consensus to solve.
But how can anyone reach a consensus without the capacity to describe what needs to be done? Methane emitters already face significant challenges in abating emissions – originating from a range of regulatory, financial, and structural factors.
Awareness is low compared with CO₂, and methane emissions are tough to measure and track.
Yet data on methane exists already – all businesses need to do is utilise the tools to collect it. This is the power data gives us – it empowers decision-making by allowing us to quantify the effectiveness of our actions. As the lines between human-caused emissions and natural emissions become increasingly blurred, understanding the delicate interplay between humanity and the planet we live on becomes crucial.

The sensing technology required to achieve this is not some far-off concept – it is available today and is more affordable and accessible than ever. Any company can monitor its industrial gas usage and emissions, providing researchers with a valuable understanding of the true impact humanity’s actions have on our planet.

Laser absorption spectroscopy

Laser absorption spectroscopy is arguably the most powerful tool for promoting this understanding as it has a particularly big role to play in tackling methane emissions. Methane is such a potent GHG because its molecular structure means it absorbs infrared light emitted from the Earth’s surface, trapping heat in our atmosphere. This property makes it a prime target for highly sensitive infrared spectroscopy sensors.
This form of detection is based on how light is absorbed as it passes through a medium. Emitters within the sensor generate beams of IR light which pass through a sampling chamber containing a filter. The filter only allows the required wavelengths – the ones reflected or emitted by the particles of gas being monitored – to make it past, meaning only those wavelengths can reach the detector. Different filters allow different wavelengths of light to reach the detector, which can, in turn, be used to detect different gases and distinct particles.

Newer gas analyser instruments use a laser diode mounted on a thermo-electric cooler to tune a laser’s wavelength to the specific absorption wavelength of a particular molecule. They exploit their high-frequency resolution, which results in enhanced sensitivity – more significant levels of interaction between gas molecules and light in the order of parts per billion – and discrimination, as they are tuned to specific gas compounds. This lowers the risk of false alarms, which can become a serious issue with other common gas detection technologies.
The benefits of these sensors include fast response times and accurate results without using any additional gases to operate.
Modern detectors can now continuously monitor for combustible gases and vapours within the lower explosive limit and provide alarm indications. These can be deployed within oxygen-deficient or enriched areas, require little calibration, and are immune to sensor poison, contamination, or corrosion.

Breaking the vicious cycle

Industrial gas detection is a mature market that continues to expand as devices become cheaper at the compliance end of the market and smarter at the top end. On the one hand, at Umicore, we work with OEMs stripping their devices back to basics, focusing on functionality and cost for low-cost markets. On the other, we assist in driving advances to open up new opportunities and allow end users to use their devices in ways they haven’t considered before.
By embracing data and taking precise, informed action, industries, legislators, and consumers can all work together to help break the feedback loop of emissions driving further emissions.
There are some methane emissions humanity simply cannot control. Accepting this makes it all the more vital that we do what we can to drive down the emissions we can control. But to do that, we must first have the capacity to identify and understand where these emissions are. Only then can we reckon with the vicious cycle of methane emissions – and finally crack it once and for all.

Text: Mark Naples, Managing Director of Umicore Coatings Services
Images SHUTTERSTOCK

Occupational safety and health cooperation must always be managed, irrelative of who is providing maintenance services. In this article the focus is on outsourced maintenance and what the occupational safety and health responsibilities of the customer are (mining company), and on the maintenance service provider at a shared workplace.

First put focus on your own company’s occupational safety and health management

The employer or employer’s deputy is responsible for ensuring that work can be carried out without incidents or health risks.

The employer or employer’s deputy also specifies safety and health targets and ensures sufficient resources to work safely without endangering anyone’s health or life.

The department manager (or foreperson having similar responsibilities) represents the middle management and is responsible for the development of the work environment and cooperation, in addition to safety and health cooperation. The department manager ensures that each work project is organized in such a way that everyone can work safely without endangering health or life, and knows the safety culture of the workplace. The department manager is also responsible for ensuring that instructions and orientation documentation is up to date.

The work supervisor is an immediate supervisor of employees and is responsible for work supervision. They are responsible for ensuring that instructions and safe working methods are followed in daily operations that every employee gets ample work orientation. The work supervisor also monitors the daily condition of the working environment and the work community, also from the work wellbeing point of view.

The employee is responsible for following instructions and regulations and using protective equipment. They are also responsible for informing the supervisor of any hazards they observe or find. The employee must not remove any guidance or warning markings or remove/switch off any safety devices without permission from the supervisor. They must refrain from dangerous and physically or mentally harmful workload duties and should always report such practices immediately to their supervisor. The supervisor thus has the possibility to plan and implement any necessary corrective measures to remove or minimize the risks caused by observed danger or load factors.

In the case of using hired workers, the difference from the occupational safe and health point of view compared to a company using its own workers, is basically only that the hired labour company pays the salary and provides the occupational health care. In practical terms, the responsibility of occupational safety and health is on the employer using hired labour.

Occupational safety and health cooperation shall be organized by the employer from the moment the first employee is hired. The employer and its employees must work together to maintain and improve occupational safety and health in the workplace despite how many employees have been hired. One to one dialogue about occupational safety and health issues should be natural discussion between any employee and their employer.
All workplaces with 10 or more employees must, by law, have an occupational safety and health representative and it is the employer’s duty to ensure that one is elected by employees. Primarily the employer shall carry out dialogue with the occupational health and safety representative. In small workplaces however, all employees should participate in dialogue regarding the safety and health of their own work and working environment. Each employee has absolutely the best knowledge of the safety and health hazards regarding their own work. If any concerns occur, they should immediately be raised with their own supervisor. This is not only a wish; each employee has the responsibility to cooperate in occupational safety and health issues.

Workplaces with at least 20 employees must have an occupational safety and health committee consisting of representatives of the employer, the employees and managerial staff. The role of the committee is to promote occupational safety and health. Occupational safety and health representatives have the right to attend and contribute to the committee’s meetings proactively before any changes e.g., to workers, operations, or facilities having safety and health take effect. The committee can make suggestions to the employer concerning improvements to working conditions, occupational health care, occupational safety and health training, as well as management. The committee also helps to organise activities aimed at maintaining the employees’ work ability and work welfare.

Managing of Occupational Safety and Health in cooperation with personnel

Occupational safety and health are managed as a part of front-line work. However, Occupational safety and health must be managed in cooperation with an occupational safety and health organization (at least 20 employees), with the occupational safety and health representative (at least 10 employees) or, with all personnel (1…9 employees) as described above.
The employer must organize adequate occupational safety and health training for employees’ representatives. These trainings are offered by e.g., associations, expert organizations, labour market organizations and occupational health and safety companies.
Occupational safety and health policy and first aid preparedness are examples of documents and processes which shall be prepared together. Worktime tracking is one example of the tools that are needed to implement the employers’ general duty to exercise care. Added to this, communication supports the opportunity of the entire work community and each employee to participate in improving work and workplace safety.
In addition, cooperation should cover following topics:

• Education and guidance of employees
• Actions of forepersons and the organization
• Each individual’s occupational safety and health inspections plus initiative and notification procedures regarding working conditions
• Investigation and assessment of hazards, injuries and load factors

The investigation and assessment of hazards, injuries and load factors shall cover all work, workstations, and workplaces, also at shared workplaces. Examples of hazards, loads and load factors in work and the work environment are listed in the Chart “Examples of Hazards, Injuries, and Load Factors at Work and Working Environment”.

Promotion of occupational safety and health in shared workplaces

Well-managed occupational safety and occupational health cooperation in all companies working at a shared workplace forms a strong basis for taking care of the occupational safety and health of the shared workplace.
The customer plays a key role regarding to the promotion of occupational safety and health in a shared workplace. By setting common targets preferably in line with Thinking Zero principals a customer gently guides and supports contractors and service providers to pursue incident, burnout, and injury-free working.
When all contractors and service providers tune their own occupational safety and health procedures towards Thinking Zero practices, they help to support a culture of undisturbed working days. Undisturbed working days produce the best result when evaluating not only the level of occupational safety and health and operational responsibility, but also productivity.
With good planning, scheduling and well-managed work, including maintenance work in a shared workplace, all work can be done correctly at once. Proactive occupational safety, and occupational health measures support smooth workflow, and therefore the management and cooperation of occupational safety and occupational health is profitable for all employers in a common workplace. In other words, the recommended aim is that no disturbances, no interruptions and no rush is faced at work which raise the probability of accidents and harmful stress. Therefore, the high-quality management of occupational safety and occupational health by the customer is profitable for all employers in a common workplace.

Shared workplace

A shared workplace is a workspace shared by employees of several different employers and independent contractors. Provisions on cooperation in occupational safety and health matters in a shared workplace are laid down in the Act on Occupational Safety and Health Enforcement and Cooperation on Occupational Safety and Health at Workplaces 44/2006 (Chapter 5a) and in the Occupational Safety and Health Act 738/2002 (Sections 49–51 and 53).