← SCP Cost Explorer Read on SCP Wiki ↗
SCP-604 Safe ~ medium confidence
SCP-604
Expected annual
$2.0M
One-time setup
$840K
Annual recurring
$2.0M
Personnel
16
One-time setup is moderate (~$840k) for containment, HVAC, secure systems and specialized equipment; the dominant recurring costs are staff salaries, legal/cover operations, and contingency, producing an expected annual operating budget around $2.0M driven primarily by personnel and ongoing safety/monitoring.
🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $840K
Facilities $448K
[#1, #2, #28] Includes reinforced containment vault, HVAC installation, and initial signage/barriers.
Robotics Upgrade $150K
[#29] Optional specialized robotics/automation capital to reduce human exposure (baseline mid-range adoption).
Equipment $120K
[#4, #17, #14] CCTV and access hardware, initial secure server setup, specialized containment tabletop/manipulator hardware.
Initial Research And Lab Setup $102K
[#3, #10] Autoclave / BSC retrofit and cold-storage equipment (-80°C freezer + LN2 dewars).
Conservation Treatment $10K
[#24] Occasional one-time conservation/restoration treatment for ornate plates/goblets.
Forensic Inventory Valuation $9K
[#27] One-time appraisal and metallurgical/valuation work for asset tagging and insurance.
On Site Incinerator Purchase $0
[#9] Optional on-site incinerator (not procured in baseline; contract disposal used instead).
🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $2.0M/yr
Staff Wages $1.2M/yr
[#5, #6, #7] Security guards & supervisors, senior researcher, pathologist, 2 lab technicians, research assistant, psychologist (salaries + benefits).
Contingency Fund $200K/yr
[#26] Operating contingency/reserve (baseline 20% of operating budget to cover unexpected incidents).
Supplies And Consumables $102K/yr
[#8, #11, #22] PPE and decontamination supplies, pathology consumables and reagents, testing foodstuffs and consumables.
Cover Story And Legal $100K/yr
[#18] Legal/cover-story, PR and liaison costs for plausible explanations and coordination with local authorities.
Research And Monitoring $75K/yr
[#13, #25] Forensic/molecular sample analyses and contracted external specialist engagements (imaging, radiology, high-end consults).
Facilities Maintenance $62K/yr
[#2, #16, #10, #24, #28] HVAC filter maintenance & alarms, site energy usage (HVAC/monitoring), cold-storage electricity, containment hardware upkeep, signage refresh.
Psychological Harm Mitigation $42K/yr
[#21] Counseling, extra hiring/training and turnover mitigation related to psychological harms.
Records Management $40K/yr
[#17] Secure encrypted storage, access controls, audit trails, and compliance-related costs.
Medical Response $30K/yr
[#12] Occupational health, immediate treatment, post-exposure prophylaxis and follow-up budget.
Logistics And Transport $30K/yr
[#15, #9] Secure transport/armored courier costs for samples/materials and biohazard disposal contract fees.
Insurance And Asset Protection $28K/yr
[#19] Insurance premiums and asset protection/liability coverage.
Incident Response Training $18K/yr
[#20] Tabletop exercises, drills, and coordination with outside emergency services.
Equipment Service Contracts $15K/yr
[#3, #4] Service contracts and storage/maintenance for autoclave/BSC and CCTV/encryption storage.
Ethics Oversight $12K/yr
[#23] Costs of convening review boards and producing redacted approvals.
Psychological Testing Program $6K/yr
[#7] Materials, psychometric instruments, and administration for pre/post interaction testing.
⚡ Cost Scenarios
📊 Baseline (baseline) $2.0M/yr
94.5% probability / year
Normal year with routine testing, scheduled maintenance, and no major incidents.
routine_testing no_breach standard_staffing
🚨 Minor Incident $2.0M/yr
4.0% probability / year +$69K vs baseline
Small exposure or containment issue requiring medical treatment, limited investigations and short-term overtime.
minor_exposure localized_contamination limited_equipment_repair
🚨 Major Breach $2.7M/yr
0.5% probability / year +$744K vs baseline
Significant containment breach or exposure requiring emergency containment upgrades, contract remediation, legal action and high-cost medical/litigation responses.
containment_breach large_scale_exposure legal_litigation_and_remediation
🚨 Political Exposure $2.3M/yr
1.0% probability / year +$294K vs baseline
Discovery or public/political exposure that triggers extensive cover operations, PR, legal defense and long-term oversight.
unauthorized_public_discovery media_exposure regulatory_inquiry
👥 Personnel 16 total
Role Count Notes
Security Officer / MTF Agent 8 [#5] Minimum two guards per shift with rotations; estimate reflects full 24/7 coverage.
Security Supervisor 2 [#5] Supervisory staff for escalation and coverage.
Research Scientist 1 [#6] Senior researcher / project lead responsible for experiments and oversight.
Pathologist / Medical Officer 1 [#6, #12] Pathologist/procurement physician for tissue analysis and medical oversight.
Lab Technician 2 [#6] Technicians for daily handling, sample prep, and assays.
Research Assistant 1 [#6] Assistant for experimental setup, documentation and sample handling.
Psychologist 1 [#7] 0.5–1.0 FTE recommended for pre/post interaction testing and counseling (counted as 1 FTE for staffing).
📋 Confidence Notes
Notes and the SCP entry give clear line items and ranges for most costs, but many items have wide ranges (e.g., HVAC rating, staff counts, optional incinerator vs contract disposal, robotics adoption). Estimates used midpoints and conservative choices; optional capital items set as elective, and contingency assumed at 20%.
← SCP-603 ↑ All SCPs SCP-605 →