WorkSafe Victoria has charged a Melbourne aged care facility where 45 residents died of COVID-19 in 2020. 

The charges for St Basil's aged care facility relate to its alleged failure to implement the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19 in July 2020.

This led to an outbreak that has been the subject of a coronial inquest, resulting in 94 staff members testing positive for the virus and 45 residents dying of COVID-related complications.

The maximum penalty for a body corporate for each of the offences is $1.49 million.

The complex investigation took 23 months to complete and involved reviewing thousands of pages of documents and multiple witness interviews.

The matter is listed for a filing hearing at the Melbourne Magistrates' Court in August.