Victorian workplaces have recorded their safest year on record, with deaths almost halving over the past decade, according to figures released by the state government.
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The number of people who died in Victorian workplaces fell to 18 last year, down from 25 in 2011 and equal to the record low set in 2005.
New WorkCover figures also show that injuries in the workplace fell to a new low in 2012, with 7.77 people injured for every million hours worked compared to 7.9 people the previous year.
But the state's workplaces continue to be more dangerous for men than women, particularly those aged over 50. Only one of the 18 fatalities involved a woman. Despite the improved results, deaths and injuries in the agriculture and construction industries continue to be cause for concern.
Assistant Treasurer Gordon Rich-Phillips said inspection and enforcement action by the Victorian Workcover Authority and engagement from employers and workers had reduced fatal accidents.
''In 2012, national data confirmed Victoria's position as having the safest workplaces of any state or territory in Australia, and that's a credit to employers, workers and the efforts of the WorkSafe team,'' he said.
But more work needed to be done, and many fatalities and injuries were the result of known hazards, he said.
WorkSafe health and safety executive director Ian Forsyth said public awareness campaigns had also reduced workplace accidents.
''The campaign has positioned public safety in the people's minds. They are very high-profile and have a very strong level of awareness and recall. This improvement is a combination of enforcement, education and public awareness campaigns.''
But he said accidents in the agricultural and construction industry continued to be a major concern, with three fatalities on farms in 2012.
One of these included a four-year-old boy crushed by a hay bale spike attachment when it fell near a tractor.
Twelve of the deaths were in Melbourne and six in rural Victoria. Four involved men falling from roofs or through ceilings.
Mr Forsyth said seven of last year's 18 deaths occurred in November and December.
''That's a pattern we saw the previous year. We think that's a time where people are rushing to get jobs done, or their mind is focused on upcoming holidays.''
The state government reiterated that it would not sign up to the federal government's proposed national occupational health and safety model.
''Victoria's occupational health and safety laws are recognised as best practice, and these results support that,'' Mr Rich-Phillips said.
''Julia Gillard's national OHS model would impose $3.4 billion in additional costs on Victorian businesses without any evidence that workplace safety in Victoria would be improved.''
Other fatal workplace accidents included the death of a father of two overwhelmed by carbon monoxide from a petrol generator in a bakery while sleeping in a nearby room.
Another fatality involved a male worker being crushed when a scissor lift fell off a truck and pinned him against a stationary forklift.
About 28,300 Victorians lodged an injury claim in 2012, the lowest on record. In 2002, there were 34 workplace deaths.
