School science lessons were once the place of bangs, flashes, smells, blood and droplets of mercury on the bench. Few, if any, people ever died from these experiences. Now, the activities that once made science fun are rare – banned on health and safety grounds. It has been reported that governments are concerned about the decreasing percentage of students enrolling on science courses at universities. If they do wish to reverse this trend, they need to take steps to curtail the pervasive 'health and safety' culture in which we now live.