Victorian government shines the spotlight on workplace safety this Christmas

Victorian tradies are fortunate to work in the safest state of Australia, however, employees should not become complacent, the state government warns.

A new WorkCover initiative aims to bolster safety in the state's workplaces, with the campaign shining the spotlight on the impact that near-death experiences has on an employee and the family unit.

Assistant treasurer Gordon Rich-Phillips commented: "Victoria is the safest state to work in, with the lowest number of claims per 1,000 workers and the lowest number of injury claims per million hours worked, but the statistics show we've still got a way to go."

"This time of year is a dangerous one for workplace fatalities, but we should never lose sight of the fact that injuries and near misses can also be extremely traumatising," Mr Rich-Phillips said.

In the past 12 months, 28,000 Victorians have lodged injury claims after being hurt at work, the assistant treasurer added.

Ian Forsyth, WorkCover executive director of health and safety, said the holiday season is the most dangerous time of year, as employees tend to cut corners as they wrap-up for the working year.