Bell joined Her Majesty's Factory Department as a factory inspector in 1936. She worked in Bristol, Walsall and the East Midlands inspecting factories that cured fish, made bricks, canned fruit and manufactured fertilizers. For her work during the Second World War Bell was awarded a medal. In 1947 she was appointed inspector of labour in the British administered territory of Mandatory Palestine and later became chief inspector of factories in that state. Bell supervised canning factories in Jaffa, potash, olive oil and soap works around the Dead Sea and oil refineries at Haifa and led a mixed Jewish and Arab team. Despite the ongoing civil war in Mandatory Palestine which saw some of the factories caught in the crossfire Bell later stated that her time in Palestine was amongst her fondest memories.