Occupational Health Nursing

Brenda M. Slaney, who died in 2002, devoted her life to nursing and in particular to occupational health (OH), where she was very well known both nationally and internationally. She started her occupational health nursing career in 1947 at the British American Optical Company, which employed 500 people making spectacle frames and lenses. She found industrial nursing, as it was then known, full of challenges as she coped with the injuries caused by working with glass, occupational dermatitis and, as was common in those days, tuberculosis. In 1957 she started at the RCN as tutor in OH nursing and was instrumental in setting up the day-release courses. She expanded OH training from just the RCN course to 21 centres offering the approved course. This widened the access gate for hundreds of nurses entering the profession. She was closely involved with the WHO, International Labour Organisation and the International Commission on Occupational Health. A gifted speaker, she presented many papers worldwide. She also set up and taught OH courses in Nigeria, and was involved in the initial discussions about setting up the RCN OH courses in Zambia.

Brenda retired from the RCN as Principal Lecturer in 1984 and was awarded the MBE for her work in OH nursing.