MaxiPARTS Pty Ltd, formerly known as MaxiTRANS, pleaded guilty at the Ballarat Magistrates' Court on Tuesday to breaching the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

WorkSafe prosecutor Susanna Locke said three employees were working on the construction of a trailer in June, 2018 when it fell two metres to the ground while it was being lifted with a crane.

The tool usually used to create places to safely attach crane chains to the trailer was being serviced on this day and was not available at the company's Learmonth Road, Wendouree site.

The court heard the workers used an 'ad hoc' approach not in line with the usual procedure to fix the chains, which caused them to slide and the trailer to fall, narrowly missing the workers.

MaxiPARTS admitted to failing to maintain a system of work that was safe and without risk to workers by not ensuring there were enough magnetic drills for employees to use.

The court heard the company had a criminal record with two prior convictions for workplace safety breaches in 2007 and 2004 in Ballarat.

Defence lawyer Duncan Chisholm said the offending was at the lower end of the scale as 'comprehensive safety procedures' were in place at the time and the company reviewed all systems after this incident.

Further training and changes to procedures cost the company more than $400,000 before it sold part of the business.

Mr Chisholm said there were alternative systems in place to lift the trailer that did not involve the missing drill but the workers chose not to use these systems.

"MaxiPARTS no longer owns the premises where the particular incident occurred so the likelihood of it occurring again is non-existent," he said.

The court heard MaxiTRANS was employing 870 people at the time of the incident, with 450 in Ballarat.

Magistrate Ron Saines said he did not view the offending on the low end of seriousness and the consequences of the falling trailer could have been 'catastrophic'.

"Had (the trailer) slipped the other way, one or two workers would probably have been impacted by the falling trailer such that injury would have been likely and catastrophic consequences were possible," he said.

Mr Saines said he took into account evidence MaxiTRANS was a 'good corporate citizen' and pleaded guilty.

MaxiPARTS was convicted and fined $25,000 and ordered to pay $5,700 in costs.

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