MAPLETON, Ill. (AP) — Authorities say a contractor working at a Caterpillar Inc. foundry in central Illinois fell to his death when he apparently stepped off a ladder at the plant.

The Peoria County coroner says 50-year-old Scott M. Adams of East Peoria was pronounced dead about 11 a.m. Thursday after his fall at the foundry in Mapleton.

The Journal Star reports that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration says Adams was working as a contractor at the foundry from Shaefer Electric in Peoria.

The agency says its preliminary investigation leads it to believe Adams stepped off a ladder before falling 20 feet to his death through a hole in the floor.