It has been recognised for some time that a key strategy in changing corporate behaviour is the possibility of personal liability being sheeted home to individual company officers. This paper argues for the desirability of laws imposing personal liability, discusses the operation of law imposing such liability in the law of occupational health and safety in the UK, and compares that law with the operation of similar law in another common law jurisdiction, the Australian State of New South Wales. It is hoped that the comparison and review of the fairly extensive case law which has developed under the NSW provisions will produce some illumination for other jurisdictions in weighing up the best mix of corporate and personal responsibility in criminal legislation.