On January 28, 2015, at 6.45pm Rick Kline was pinned when he positioned himself between the conveyor boom and the coal rib while tramming the continuous mining machine before beginning to mine coal at the face of the No. 5 entry.

The accident occurred because the victim trammed the continuous mining machine while in a position where he could be contacted by the machine, according to a report by the US Mine Safety and Health Administration.

“The mine operator’s administrative controls, policies, and training in place at the time of the accident were not adequate to ensure that the safety precautions in the approved roof control plan were being followed,” it said.

“Also, the mine operator does not have engineering controls in place to prevent this type of accident.”