A worker died at the Michigan Sugar Company beet processing plant near Bay City, MI on December 15 after he plummeted about 120 ft down a chute into a piece of grinding equipment, local and national news organizations reported.

The victim, identified by authorities as 53-year-old Derrin Forgette, was cleaning a chute that was located above a dual screw grinding system when the fall occurred, police told news radio station WSGW.

Emergency personnel were dispatched to the site around 7:50 p.m. and the man was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said in coverage by MLive.com.

“An investigation into the incident is underway and we are cooperating with authorities. The thoughts and prayers of everyone at Michigan Sugar Company are with the family of this employee,” the company said in a statement to a local NBC News affiliate.

Michigan Sugar is the third largest sugar company in the US, producing 1.1 billion lb/yr of sugar across its production network, according to information on the company’s website. Its products are sold under the Pioneer Sugar and Big Chief Sugar brands.