Forks raised for Miller’s high achievers

Miller Homes has awarded 32 year-old forklift driver David Dawson from Derby its ‘Operator Performance Award’ in the Forklift Driver Awards – for the second time this year.

David, who currently works as a forklift driver at the housebuilder’s prestigious Highfields Park development in Derby, has received the quarterly award for the second time in succession by demonstrating the highest standards of forklift operation.

This makes David the first person to ever win the award, which has been running since 2005, twice in succession.

In the scheme, which is thought to be the first of its kind in the UK, each driver is assessed by a site manager every week. They are each scored for machine presentation, personal presentation, machine operation and lack of damage to the machine. Weekly results are then collated each quarter and the winner is presented with a certificate of recognition.

David was not the only Miller Homes employee to be recognised on the day, with fellow forklift driver Paul MacLeod receiving the ‘Most Improved’ award, from Miller Homes East Midlands and its partner in the scheme, UK Forks.

The Forklift Driver Awards were the brainchild of Miller Homes East Midlands’ production director, Malcolm Ceney and Haydn Davies, divisional director at UK Forks, and were developed to encourage pride in the job in this area and reduce machine repair costs. Malcolm says of the scheme:

“The Awards have been hugely beneficial to our team as they not only aid in the development of individuals, but also help to increase on site health and safety and decrease costs to the business in machine repair and general damages.

“I would like to congratulate David on his excellent achievement, as the consistently high standards required to achieve this award twice in row are not easy to attain.”