Starting a new job is supposed to be the beginning of something positive. For Lawrence “Day” Davis, however, his first shift at a factory ended in tragedy before he had even been there for two hours.Davis was 21 years old and from Jacksonville, Florida. He had taken a temporary position at a Bacardi bottling plant, hoping to earn a living like anyone starting a new job. Instead, he was killed during his very first shift.Davis had been working for only about 90 minutes when he was assigned a relatively simple task. His job was to clean up broken bottles and spilled glass around a machine called a palletizer.The palletizer was used to move and stack cases of bottled rum. At the time, the machine had been turned off, so Davis entered the area underneath it to clean.What Davis apparently did not know was that another employee could still activate the machine.While Davis was working underneath the equipment, another worker turned the palletizer on without realizing that anyone was inside the restricted area.The machine immediately began moving.Cases of rum were pushed forward with enormous force, trapping Davis underneath the equipment. Other workers soon realized something was wrong when they heard him screaming and rushed to shut the machine down.By then, however, it was too late.Davis had been crushed by roughly 2,000 pounds of force. His family was left devastated, especially because this was his first day on the job.His sister, Antonia Washington, later spoke about the tragedy and described how difficult it was to accept that her brother had been killed during his very first shift as a temporary worker.The incident also raised serious questions about workplace safety and the training given to temporary employees.The Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigated the accident and determined that Davis and other temporary workers had not received sufficient training. The investigation resulted in 12 citations against Bacardi, with proposed penalties totaling $192,000.The tragedy was later featured in the documentary “A Day’s Work,” which examined the dangers faced by temporary workers in the United States. The film also explored how some temporary employees may hesitate to speak up about unsafe conditions because they fear losing their jobs or not being called back.Davis’s death shows how quickly a routine assignment can become deadly when workers and machinery are not properly coordinated.A machine being switched off is not always enough to make an area safe. Workers need to know who is authorized to operate the equipment, whether it has been properly isolated, and what procedures must be followed before entering a dangerous area.For someone starting a new job, asking questions about safety is never something to be embarrassed about. If something seems unsafe or unclear, stopping to ask for help could make all the difference.Lawrence Davis went to work expecting an ordinary first day. Instead, a machine he believed was inactive became the cause of a tragedy that his family would never forget.