Accident at work causes man to lose finger

A man who lost his finger in an accident at work may be set to seek compensation for his suffering.

Paul Whittaker has not yet been able to return to employment since the incident, which occurred in April last year.

The 30-year-old was using a piece of emery cloth to reduce the size of a metal component on a lathe at a factory in Burnley when his finger became trapped in machinery.

He was wearing a glove at the time, which pulled his hand further into the device.

A subsequent investigation conducted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that Mr Whittaker had not received any training on how to operate the machine safely.

Inspector at the organisation Imran Siddiqui said: "Paul Whittaker has been unable to return to work and his injury has significantly affected his ability to grip and lift with his right hand."

According to the HSE, there were around 246,000 reportable injuries suffered by workers in 2008-09.