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Miller Homes is to monitor and assess all site activities in-house from this month, following the launch of Miller Respect - an internal initiative designed to enable the business to better meet its core objective of becoming a "good neighbour" in the communities in which it operates.

Miller Homes' internal Safety, Health and Environmental Team will be responsible for assessing all site standards through both pre-arranged and impromptu visits. Each site is set to receive at least one visit per six months, with additional visits planned for any sites deemed to be falling below the expected company standards.

Site management will be assessed on a range of factors including their consideration of the environment, thought for their neighbours, site presentation and safety, as well as respect for colleagues and attitude to corporate image.

The general public are also being encouraged to play a role in assessing the company's performance: a 24 hour hotline has been created and people are invited to call in with any complaints and general comments regarding site activities. The hotline number will be displayed on all site hoardings and across other marketing material.

Divisional SH&E Manager of Miller Homes, Dave Hickman, said: "When we launched our CSR strategy earlier this year, we made it very clear that we wanted to become a better neighbour and employer. In short, we are determined to do more to develop truly sustainable communities - and Miller Respect is a key part of our plans for this.
 
"The scheme forces all site based staff to increase the focus on environmental factors: we judge them on pollution prevention measures, the methods adopted to reduce nuisance, we look at what they are doing to protect the wildlife and trees onsite and we question what energy and water efficient methods they have in place. Waste management is also a key area of the audit process.

"In addition, we question how well staff are working with their local communities, whether local schools have been contacted and whether surrounding residents feel they have been advised of our plans. We look at the controls in place for the prevention of ‘antisocial’ behaviour by our workforce and we double check the health and safety procedures employed on site.

"All of this will help us to meet our ultimate objective of becoming a better housebuilder – and not just in the eyes of our buyers, but anyone who comes into contact with us, for any reason."

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