A load of cheese has fallen off a forklift, crushing a 39-year-old man to death.

The Age newspaper reported police said the man was walking in front of a moving forklift at Oxford Cold Storage warehouse in Hume Road, Laverton North, west Melbourne, Victoria, when the accident happened.

The driver is believed to have slammed on the brakes at the last minute but the action caused his load of cheese to fall, crushing the man.

WorkSafe's Trevor Martin said it was the ninth workplace death in Victoria this year and the 54th workplace fatality involving forklifts since 1985.

Of the 54 fatalities, 15 were pedestrians struck by falling loads.

WorkSafe is the Victorian WorkCover Authority's occupational health and safety arm, which promotes and enforces health and safety in Victorian workplaces.