Engineer caught in whirling machine (8)
I believe the answer is:
mechanic
'engineer' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'caught in whirling machine' is the wordplay.
'caught' becomes 'c' (cricket abbreviation).
'in' indicates putting letters inside.
'whirling' is an anagram indicator.
'machine' with letters rearranged gives 'mehanic'.
'c' inserted within 'mehanic' is 'MECHANIC'.
(Other definitions for mechanic that I've seen before include "Engineer" , "Car repairer" , "Worker skilled in machinery and cars" , "skilled workman" , "Person who repairs cars etc." .)