Inspect Beyond the Surface

Professional Lead Garment Inspection and X-Ray Scanning Services

Visual inspections miss the invisible cracks and lead deterioration that put your staff and patients at risk. RCS provides comprehensive radiographic inspection services that detect hidden damage while reducing radiation exposure risk for your team and ensuring compliance.

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Trusted by 500+ Teams

Why Annual Lead Garment X-ray Inspections Are Critical

Damaged X-ray garments expose staff to unknown radiation.

The Joint Commission and other regulations require annual inspection of all lead protective equipment to verify radiation protection integrity. Visual and tactile inspections alone cannot detect micro-cracks that compromise protection. Only radiographic inspection reveals the hidden defects that put healthcare workers at risk.

The Hidden Dangers:

  • Visual and palpation checks miss internal damage
  • Cracks compromise radiation protection
  • Unknown damage = unknown exposure
Meet Standards. Exceed Expectations.

Comprehensive Radiographic Inspection

Every garment undergoes an annual radiographic examination to detect cracks and tears that are invisible to visual inspection. We assess each garment’s condition and flag those that appear damaged or may no longer meet safety standards.

Our Process Includes:

  • Annual X-ray Inspection
  • Three year image archive
  • History accessible via QR code on garment tag & in RadComply®

When Your Garments Return:

You receive a comprehensive report, including radiographic images of each garment, stored in RadComply for audit compliance. Detected damage is clearly reported, allowing your facility to determine pass/fail status in accordance with your internal protocols. Year-over-year image comparison helps you track deterioration patterns and forecast replacement needs accurately.

How the Process Works

Professional inspection minimizes radiation exposure risks

After garments are collected, they enter our inspection facility, where trained technicians perform a comprehensive radiographic examination. Every garment is scanned annually to detect defects. All inspection images are captured, analyzed, and archived in RadComply for a period of three years, accompanied by detailed documentation for regulatory compliance. Your team can efficiently pass/fail garments depending on your internal protocols.

  • Stress-free compliance
  • Less downtime, more patient care
  • Radiation safety you can verify

Radiographic Scanning

Each garment scanned to reveal hidden defects.

Image Analysis

Technicians analyze scans and document findings.

Efficient Approvals

RadComply makes it easy to pass/fail garments depending on your internal protocols.

Compliance Reporting

Inspection records stored in RadComply, ready for audits.

Statistics That Matter:

13 Minutes Saved

Facilities saved on average 13 minutes per garment by using RCS services.

Reduce Unknown Exposure Risks

On average, 11% of first time customer garments have protective material damage.

1.5-2X Garment Lifespan

Garments serviced by RCS see, on average, a 1.5-2x increase in lifespan compared to garments not serviced by RCS.

100% Documented

Every garment scan is archived in RadComply with images ready for regulatory audits.

how Garment Care Pays off

Stay safe, stay compliant, and get more life out of your lead aprons with professional inspections.

Annual radiographic inspection is more than a regulatory requirement. It’s essential protection against radiation exposure from compromised garments, and it documents your commitment to staff safety during audits and surveys. Early detection prevents exposure incidents and extends the useful life of your inventory through proactive replacement planning.

How To Get Started

Starting with RCS is simple. We assess your facility’s needs, design a service plan to match, and handle every detail. Your garments stay compliant, and your team stays focused.

Talk with a RadCare Specialist
01

Schedule Your Consultation

Connect with our team to discuss your current garment inventory, department needs, and compliance requirements.

02

Choose Your Service Model

Select RadOnsite for convenient on-site pickup and delivery, or RadShip for a streamlined shipping-based solution with loaner garments included.

03

Experience Seamless Service

RCS handles your lead garment program from end to end, while you access real-time inventory, compliance data, and X-ray scan results in RadComply.

Ready To Say Goodbye
To Filthy Lead?

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Lead Garment Cleaning & Care: What Every Hospital Needs to Know

Clean Those Leads

Hospital-owned lead garments require professional deep cleaning, not just surface wipes. RCS follows a proven two-step cleaning and disinfection process that meets AORN, The Joint Commission, and CDC standards to eliminate bacteria, viruses, fungi, and spores.

Clean Those Leads

Save Time

RCS customers save an average of 13 minutes per garment by eliminating the need for staff to perform manual X-ray scans, track inventory spreadsheets, and manage repair schedules. Our service frees your radiology techs and clinical staff to focus on patient care instead of garment management.

Read the Case Study

84% Of Lead Vest Are Contaminated

A Wayne State University study found that 84% of lead aprons tested positive for Ringworm and Staphylococcus aureus, with 12% colonized by MRSA. Contaminated protective equipment puts both healthcare workers and patients at risk of infection.

Learn More

Wipes Aren’t Enough

Surface wipes alone are clinically proven ineffective for properly sanitizing lead garments. True sanitization requires a two-step process: friction-based cleaning followed by proper sanitization using bactericidal, viricidal, fungicidal, and sporicidal solutions.

Learn More About Why Wipes Aren’t Enough

Frequently asked questions

Lead aprons can develop cracks, holes, and tears over time due to prolonged use, improper storage, accidental impacts, and other factors. According to research from Radiography Open,  such defects can compromise the apron’s ability to provide adequate radiation shielding, increasing the risk of unnecessary radiation exposure. For this reason, regular inspections are essential to detect any damage and ensure timely repairs or replacements using proper inspection methods.

How often should lead aprons be evaluated, and what is the process? We’ll break it all down step-by-step and explain how services like ours at Radiological Care Services (RCS) can help. By the end, you’ll feel better equipped to inspect and maintain lead aprons to keep your healthcare team safe while ensuring medical equipment remains in proper working order.

It’s recommended that medical facilities conduct annual radiographic inspections of all lead aprons in use. Inspecting aprons regularly is important since even minor damage can worsen quickly and pose a risk to the wearer. A study by the Journal of Health Physics found that tears in lead aprons can increase in size by 270% in 10 months.

Radiographic inspections are important because an X-ray scan can catch early damage that isn’t always easy to see or feel. If those damages get missed, small holes can become a larger problem that affects the safety of clinicians. Using an inspection tracking system ensures that each apron is checked on schedule and helps maintain compliance with standards set by organizations like the Joint Commission.

The Importance Of Keeping A Lead Apron Inspection Log


Lead apron testing reports should get filed away so you can track the condition of garments over time and know when the next inspection date is.

Make a note of any marginal defects in lead aprons that don’t need immediate repairs. The previously mentioned study from the Journal of Health Physics recommended inspecting any lead aprons with marginal defects every 6 months to ensure worsening damage is caught and managed as soon as possible. 

Busy healthcare facilities often face challenges in managing apron inventory, inspection logs, and testing reports. That’s why at RCS, we’ve developed RADCOMPLY™—an intuitive inventory software solution designed to simplify and streamline this process.

When you partner with us, we handle all your radiographic inspections. After each inspection, testing reports are sent directly to you and automatically documented in RADCOMPLY™, ensuring your inventory stays up-to-date. Plus, you’ll receive timely reminders when aprons are nearing their next inspection date.

If you’re not ready to upgrade to software, we have a lead apron inspection checklist template that you can use for free.

The British Institute of Radiology recommends X-ray scans and visual assessments as a regular part of your lead apron inspection checklist. A tactile inspection is also helpful to identify any lead apron cracks, holes, or tears forming in the material. Here’s an overview of how each of these steps works.

Annual X-Ray Inspections

An annual X-ray inspection is the most important step since it identifies early damage you can’t always see or feel. You can conduct this inspection using a variety of equipment, including a traditional X-ray, fluoroscopy, or CT scan. During the process, avoid using objects like clipping ball points pens, which could puncture the lead lining.

The British Institute of Radiology recommends limiting exposure levels to 70 to 80 kV, which is enough to identify small tears or separations accurately while protecting the person performing the inspection. 

That said, this process is costly and time-consuming for medical facilities to perform in-house. Therefore, it’s usually more efficient to outsource to services like us at RCS, which have a streamlined approach developed to make inspections easy. 

Visual Inspections

Visual inspections aren’t as accurate as X-ray scanning, but they can help identify any obvious damage that needs immediate attention. To do them:

It’s important to do visual inspections in addition to annual X-ray scanning. It is not a replacement for X-ray scans.

Tactile Inspections

After conducting a visual inspection, you can perform a tactile check to assess any obvious damage. Place the lead apron on a flat surface and gently run your hands over the material, feeling for lumps, cracks, or signs of sagging seams. This hands-on approach helps identify potential issues that might not be immediately visible. 

Conducting tactile inspections alongside annual X-ray scans is important for thorough assessment and safety.

The best practice is to perform an annual radiographic inspection for lead aprons and other protective garments, such as gloves, thyroid collars, and goggles. An X-ray scan can detect small damage that a visual or tactile inspection might miss. 

Visual and tactile inspections can be done every 6 months, but understand that they’re best to identify obvious damage and don’t replace thorough X-ray scanning. 

Inspection Of Lead Aprons: Criteria For Rejection

When cracks or holes are identified during inspection, it’s important to know when lead aprons are salvageable and when they should be rejected and disposed of. A study by K. Lambert and T. McKeon established rejection criteria that suggest that aprons and other protective garments should be replaced when damage exceeds: 

  • 15 mm² over critical organs, such as the thyroid and gonads
  • 670 mm² along the seams, overlapped areas, or on the back
  • 11 mm² for thyroid shields

We recommend checking with your facility’s Radiation Safety Officer to know your site’s requirements for lead apron rejection criteria.

When garments meet one or more of these criteria, RCS can provide lead apron disposal following proper regulations for human health and environmental safety.

Thorough lead apron inspections and maintenance can be both costly and time-consuming. That’s why partnering with a service like ours at RCS is often a more efficient solution. We ensure that you’re doing everything possible to keep your staff safe while maintaining your lead aprons in optimal condition for the long term. 

At RCS, we provide:

Ready to improve your lead apron inspection process? Contact RCS today to learn more.