Factory worker and I cover obstacle (8)
I believe the answer is:
handicap
'obstacle' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'factory worker and i cover' is the wordplay.
'factory worker' becomes 'hand' (I've seen this in other clues).
'and' says to put letters next to each other.
'cover' becomes 'cap' (cap is a kind of cover).
'hand'+'i'+'cap'='HANDICAP'
(Other definitions for handicap that I've seen before include "Block" , "Advantage given to equalise chances of winning" , "Place at a disadvantage" , "Something making progress or success difficult" , "Impairment" .)