A factory worker was "very competent" at using a machine which led to a fatal incident, an inquest has heard.

Nathan Hook, from Lowestoft, suffered a severe head injury in the industrial incident at Berry M&H Plastics on October 7, 2021, after his clothing became caught in a Colchester Mastiff 1400 Lathe.

His supervisor, engineering team leader James Fisher, told the inquest at Suffolk Coroner's Court on Tuesday, November 15, he saw "no reason" why Mr Hook would use emery cloth by hand for the job he was doing at the time of his death.

He said: "Nathan was very competent at using the lathe.

"Using emery cloth by hand on a lathe is unacceptable and dangerous and an alternative method should be used.

"I was always taught to wrap it around a tool or a file to use."

Stephen Niblett, health and safety professional at the Ellough site, told the inquest there was "no requirement" for staff to undergo refresher training to use a lathe once they were qualified.

He added: "We would do walk-around safety tours and if we found something wrong we would deal with it there and then.

"I don't recall any observations about lathes or using emery cloths.

"The lathes were used infrequently.

"If I had seen anyone using an emery cloth by hand on a lathe I would have stopped them."

Former colleague Colin Crawford said using emery cloth by hand on a lathe was a "big no-no".

Toxicologist Dr Sharif told the inquest that traces of cannabis were found in Mr Hook's system following his death.

The inquest heard the 34-year-old was a "regular" user of the drug.

Dr Sharif said: "He may have been experiencing the effects, such as distortion of space and time and it could have impacted his coordination and judgement."

The toxicologist, however, added the level found in his system "could be" consistent with a regular user who had not taken the drug for an "extensive" period of time, such as a day or two.

The inquest, taking place before a jury, continues.