Rick BeckChattanooga police said the Astec employee who was killed at work early Friday morning was hit in the head.
A news release said Rick Beck, 61, was preparing to attach the lower half of a silo to the upper half when the lower half shifted and hit him in the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Astec President Benjamin Brock said Beck was killed shortly after 5:30 a.m. He said Astec and the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating the death.
Beck worked at Astec for more than 33 years.
"(He) was well thought of by his peers and supervisor," Brock said in a statement Friday. "Our Astec family lost a good man today. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family."