The aim of this article is to analyse the work of nurses in the Chilean industry of Gran Concepción between 1942 and 1970. Specifically, we will address the role they played in the formation of a healthier and more productive workforce during the period of Import Substitution Industrialisation. As sources, we use testimonies from nursing congresses and journals, as well as business journals and statistical data on hospital care, social care and health. The results reveal that nurses played a key role in the implementation of industry-driven welfare and social control policies aimed at more productive and disciplined workers. This involved teaching hygienic precepts, eradicating popular cultural practices and promoting new ways of caring for health. Their work also brought them closer to workers’ families through home visits and care in hospitals and polyclinics built by the companies.