A permanently installed device forming a structural barrier designed to block or attenuate radiation emissions from a primary or scattered radiation source. It includes various solid or transparent barriers typically used to shield patients from unnecessary exposure to radiation emitted from, e.g., diagnostic/therapeutic radiation emitting devices. It may also be used to shield a patient undergoing a diagnostic or therapeutic procedure requiring the administration of a radioactive material or placement of a radioactive source. The barrier can be permanently attached to the floor, wall or ceiling or to a medical device, or mounted on articulating structures giving a limited range of motion.