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SCP-598 Safe ~ medium confidence
SCP-598
Expected annual
$1.1M
One-time setup
$322K
Annual recurring
$956K
Personnel
10
One-time setup ~ $322k for cell construction, secure imaging/IT and contingency; recurring costs ~ $956k/yr driven primarily by continuous security staffing and research personnel, plus administrative overhead and ongoing monitoring.
🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $322K
Initial Research And Lab Setup $100K
[#13, #15, #17, #25] Monochrome camera + air-gapped storage (#13), initial experimental apparatus for telepathy/hue studies (#15), memetic mitigation toolkit development (#17), initial color-filter research/operationalization (#25).
Facilities $75K
[#1] Construction of a 3×3×3 m sealed concrete cell, HVAC waveguide work, door and grounding per containment spec.
Contingency Reserve $50K
[#18] Containment-breach contingency fund and spare materials reserve for immediate repairs/replacements.
Equipment $35K
[#2, #4, #9, #11] Mirrored floor installation (#2), lighting/UPS/generator & electrical install (#4), search/screening hardware and secure locker/software (#9), radio detectors (#11).
Guard Training And Vetting $18K
[#8] Initial vetting and training costs for ~8 guards (background checks, clearances, weapons/non-lethal training).
Secure It And Image Destruction $15K
[#14] Initial secure IT, hardware filters, forensic-wipe capability and image-destruction workflow setup.
Faraday Shielding $15K
[#12] Optional moderate Faraday retrofit for >4 m radius if chosen (facility modification).
Legal Consultation And Cover Setup $10K
[#21] Front-loaded legal consultation and cover/records setup (one-time legal/permits advice).
Secure Destruction Contract $2K
[#20] Setup contract/capability for secure destruction of any color-accurate reproductions.
Policy And Signage $2K
[#10] Initial policy drafting, signage and training materials to enforce no-radio/no-camera rules near SCP-598.
Initial Paint Supply $200
[#3] On-site Behr "Pearly White" initial supply for touch-ups and decontamination.
🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $956K/yr
Staff Wages $630K/yr
[#7, #15] Ongoing salaries & benefits: security staffing (8 guards to cover two 24/7 positions) and research staff (approx. 2 FTE researchers).
Administrative Overhead $150K/yr
[#23] Allocated overhead (finance, HR, site management) estimated ~30% of direct recurring costs.
Research And Monitoring $112K/yr
[#13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #25] IT maintenance for secure storage (#13), ongoing secure-IT audits (#14), recurring experimental consumables and equipment upkeep (#15), psych evaluations/after-contact monitoring (#16), memetic mitigation program operations (#17), contingency replenishment (#18), ongoing color-filter research operational costs (#25).
Cover Story And Legal $31K/yr
[#10, #21] Annual compliance monitoring and signage enforcement (#10) plus ongoing legal/PR/cover operation budget (#21).
Insurance And Liability $12K/yr
[#22] Annual insurance and liability coverage premiums for facility/personnel operations.
Logistics And Transport $5K/yr
[#24] Transportation and logistics for specialist transfers and equipment movement between sites.
Facilities Maintenance $5K/yr
[#4, #5, #11, #2, #6, #9] Generator fuel & maintenance and transfer tests (#4), electricity for lights & minimal support (~300 W) (#5), detector calibration/maintenance (#11), mirror replacement reserve (#2), daily inspection/cleaning contract (#6), search equipment audits (#9).
Supplies And Consumables $4K/yr
[#3, #19, #7] Annual paint/touch-ups (#3), consumables (cleaners, anti-mold, PPE) (#19), uniforms/gear replacement (~$2k/yr) from security (#7).
Guard Training And Vetting $3K/yr
[#8] Annual refresher training and ongoing vetting/certification for guards.
Secure Destruction Reserve $3K/yr
[#20] Annual reserve for secure destruction events and per-event small costs.
Faraday Shielding $500/yr
[#12] Maintenance for Faraday retrofit if implemented.
⚡ Cost Scenarios
📊 Baseline (baseline) $956K/yr
92.0% probability / year
Normal operational year with routine maintenance, research, and no major incidents.
routine_operations no_incident
🚨 Minor Incident $966K/yr
6.0% probability / year +$10K vs baseline
Small containment-related incidents (mirror damage, paint contamination, minor contamination) requiring repair, overtime, and small emergency purchases.
mirror_damage paint_contamination minor_contamination_event
🚨 Major Breach $6.0M/yr
2.0% probability / year +$5.0M vs baseline
Accidental creation or release of a color-accurate reproduction requiring large-scale emergency containment, incident response, legal action, and potential new containment capacity.
accidental_color_reproduction containment_breach_propagation
👥 Personnel 10 total
Role Count Notes
Security Officer / MTF Agent 8 Two Level-2 guards physically present 24/7; ~8 staff hired to cover shifts and leave (see #7). Salaries/benefits included in staff_wages.
Research Scientist 2 Research staff (psychology/ neuroscience + physicist/engineer) to run experiments and monitor effects (see #15). Salaries included in staff_wages.
📋 Confidence Notes
Line items are well-specified (cell, mirror, lights, continuous guards) giving moderate confidence. Uncertainty remains around optional Faraday upgrades, research staffing mix, and the low-probability/high-impact risk of accidental color reproduction which could vastly increase costs.
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