As a former president of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (2000-02) I was disgusted by the vitriolic tirade of nonsense spouted by David Cameron about how he will "kill off the health and safety culture" (Report, 6 January). He has learned nothing from the carefully researched Löfstedt report but has crafted it to suit his own ends.

Sir Bill Callaghan, when he was chairman of the former Health and Safety Commission, said that health and safety was the cornerstone of a civilised society. It is clear that Mr Cameron and his conservative cronies are determined to destroy that aspiration.

I challenge Mr Cameron and his yes man Chris Grayling to frontline participation in a workplace fatal accident investigation from the initial "blood on the floor" phase, through the inquest, to the criminal and civil claim proceedings, just as an inspector of the HSE or a local authority would have to do. This might cause him to stop and remember that the health and safety code, which I and others in my profession daily apply sensibly and proportionately to protect the lives of our workplace colleagues and the public, is the envy of the world.

Shame on you, Mr Cameron, in your espousal of the "big society" for failing to support this essential element of a civilised one, founded on the toll of death, injury and disease suffered by so many working people and other citizens over the past 200 years.
Paul Faupel
Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire

• The most recent figures show the number of workplace deaths in London nearly doubled – from nine to 17 – in a year. When workers get killed, inevitably investigations prove that corners have been cut and the law broken. It is London Hazards Centre's belief that the 35% cut to The Health and Safety Executive's budget is already costing workers lives.

For David Cameron to start the new year saying his resolution is "to kill off health and safety culture" shows not just insensitivity to bereaved families, but how out of touch he is with countries with more civilised workplace arrangements in Europe and other parts of the world. The actual conclusions of the Löfstedt review are distorted in the rush to turn back the clock to the 1950s.

Löfstedt said there was no evidence to suggest there is a case for stripping back current health and safety regulation, or to support reducing regulatory requirements for smaller firms. We must make sure the coalition does not water down worker protection.

Also, in over 20 years of campaigning for improvements, London Hazards has seen no evidence of "burdens on business", only the opposite. Peter Juszczyz was killed on a small site in Wembley in 2006. In court, HSE said: "His death was clearly avoidable as risks of excavations is well known." The employer was fined just £750. That is not a burden.
Margaret Sharkey
Advice worker, London Hazards Centre

• It was with great concern that I read of David Cameron's description of the health and safety culture as a "monster". It was said in the context of unfettering small businesses to leave them in a better position to develop. But this stereotyping of health and safety as an optional extra plays into the hands of those wishing to cut costs by avoiding responsible employment practices.

Health and safety legislation has been a force for good since its inception in 1974. It has been a major factor in lowering death from fatal injuries while in employment by 82%. The one area where death rates are increasing as a result of employment is mesothelioma (asbestos-related lung cancer). The latency period of this disease (usually 30-40 years) demonstrates how workers unprotected by legislation at the time of their exposure are now paying the price.

My husband died 13 months ago from this most painful and distressing disease. One of the few comforting facts is the huge amount of awareness and legislation brought in by the HSE, so that within the next decade the incidence of this disease should begin to fall. For David Cameron to use such negative sweeping statements about health and safety is at best disingenuous. As a PR expert, he will be aware of the importance of interpretation of any statements, and should take responsibility accordingly.
Jill Heaps
Chester

• Well organised successful businesses generally regard health and safety as an essential part of efficient working. If the prime minister intends to "kill off the health and safety culture" he is aligning himself with the kind of inefficient muddle-headed businesses that are precisely what Britain does not need if it is to become a prosperous country.

His desire to shuffle out of the EU is presumably intended to ensure that we can be forced to buy from these bunglers, rather than from efficient continental firms.
John Hall
Bristol

• A year ago Cameron, Osborne, Cable and co promised growth, then blamed the lack of it on a royal wedding, the weather and Europe, so it should come as no surprise that David Cameron today blames "the health and safety monster" for the failure of the coalition government's economic policies. Yet it is scandalous that he should do so. I witnessed deaths for lack of proper safety measures on building sites during the Thatcher years. It is precisely when unemployment increases that working people need the protection that proper health and safety legislation can provide, and the possibility of redress in the courts if employers are lax.
David Murray
Wallington, Surrey