Abstract: Employee #1 was engaged in repair and maintenance work on an overhead garage door. He was working from an aluminum extension ladder at a height of approximately 19 ft 6 in. above a concrete floor. To put tension back into the spring that lifted the door, he inserted a rod into one of four holes in the cap at the end of the spring, rotated the rod upward a quarter turn, and inserted a second rod into the next hole, and so on. This procedure needed to be repeated 44 times. As Employee #1 was working, one of the rods suddenly sprang loose, either out of his hand or out of the hole in the spring. He lost his balance and fell off the ladder, suffering massive head, rib, and internal injuries. Employee #1 was killed. The sudden release of tension and/or the associated noise, may have startled him and caused him to fall.