Vic builder charged following two deaths

A Victorian builder has been charged following the collapse of a trench, killing two workers in the state's west last year.

The men were laying pipe at the Winterfield Estate housing development in Delacombe, Ballarat, when the trench collapsed in March 2018.

Jack Brownlee, 21, died at Royal Melbourne Hospital the day after he was rescued from the hole.

Another man, aged 34 and also trapped in the incident, died at the scene.

WorkSafe has charged Ballarat company Pipecon Pty Ltd with two breaches of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

The charges allege the company failed to take necessary steps to protect workers from the risk of engulfment.

It also allegedly failed to provide supervision to ensure employees did not work in the trench without appropriate safety measures.

The company will appear in Ballarat Magistrates Court on February 4.