A cleaning company has been fined $30,000 after a worker fell 5.5 metres from the awning of a Victorian church.

Parkton Enterprises Pty Ltd has been fined over the incident at Barrabool Hills in October 2018, where two workers were sent up to clean extraction fans on a church roof.

The pair received all their instructions about the job by text message.

This led a worker to set up a ladder against a metal awning around the church, instead of the designated building ladder access point.

He then climbed the ladder and was on the awning when it gave way, causing him to fall about 5.5 metres to the ground.

The worker suffered a crushed lower vertebra, a broken leg and a dislocated shoulder.

A WorkSafe investigation found the two employees on site had not been trained in working at heights did not have supervision from anyone who had been.

They were also working without any legal safety documents.

Parkton Enterprises Pty Ltd pleaded guilty in Geelong Magistrates' Court to failing to control the risk of a fall from height and failing to provide instruction and training on height work.

The commercial kitchen cleaning company was convicted, fined $30,000 and ordered to pay costs of $3367.