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SCP-7438 Safe ~ medium confidence
SCP-7438
Expected annual
$31K
One-time setup
$20K
Annual recurring
$30K
Personnel
0.18
One-time setup is modest (~$20k) driven by secure storage, imaging/IT setup, and an escalation reserve; annual recurring costs are low-to-moderate (~$29.8k/yr) driven primarily by part-time staff wages, ingredient/consumable costs, testing/monitoring, and contingency reserves.
🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $20K
Contingency Reserve $10K
[#20] Reserved contingency for unexpected limited escalation (lower bound of recommended $10k–$50k reserve).
Equipment $5K
[#2, #3, #4, #5, #6] Archival storage materials (~$150), small dehumidifier/monitor option (~$500), initial clean mats (~$50), scanner + server provisioning (~$1,350), secure database/software development/configuration (~$3,000). Assumes small-scale purchases rather than full HVAC replacement.
Facilities $3K
[#1] Secure physical containment locker / evidence safe purchase and installation (~$3,000).
Initial Research And Lab Setup $1K
[#10, #14] Initial food-safety/team certification for basic team (~$500–$1,000; midpoint used) and initial training/material prep for perception-report procedure (~$500).
Conservation Stabilization $1K
[#18] One-time archival stabilization / conservator intervention if initial degradation is observed (~$1,000).
🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $30K/yr
Staff Wages $12K/yr
[#6, #7, #8] Part-time/sysadmin support (~$1,500/yr), transcription/record-keeping RA slice (~$5,000/yr), memetics/linguistics oversight consultant or 0.05 FTE (~$6,000/yr).
Escalation Reserve Annual $5K/yr
[#20] Annual reserve contribution to be available for limited escalation needs (part of contingency planning; replenishment assumption).
Incident Response Fund $4K/yr
[#13] Annual contingency for immediate incident/medical response (ER/ambulance/administrative follow-up), midpoint of $2k–$5k range used.
Supplies And Consumables $3K/yr
[#4, #11, #19] Recurring PPE (gloves ~ $20/yr), ingredient/controlled-cooking consumables (~$2,600/yr assuming weekly demo/ingredient budget), miscellaneous consumables/office overhead (~$350/yr).
Research And Monitoring $2K/yr
[#5, #12, #18] Off-site encrypted backup (~$200/yr), microbiological/food testing spot checks (~$1,500/yr averaged), archival preservation monitoring / conservator visits averaged (~$500/yr).
Cover Story And Legal $2K/yr
[#16, #17] Minimal legal/cover costs and NDAs/low-level PR (~$500–$2,000/yr) plus incremental insurance/asset accounting (~$200–$500/yr); midpoint totals used.
Medical And Occupational Health $1K/yr
[#9] Basic reporting and occasional clinic visits for staff using/consuming items from SCP-7438 (~$1,000/yr budgeted).
Logistics And Transport $500/yr
[#15] Occasional secure courier/transport for specialist consultations or transfers (~$500/yr budgeted).
Training And Certification $300/yr
[#10, #14] Renewal courses and periodic refreshers (~$100/yr per basic team member renewal + ~$200/yr for refresher sessions/materials).
Facilities Maintenance $200/yr
[#3] Electricity and monitoring for environmental control (dehumidifier / small HVAC monitoring) (~$100–$300/yr; midpoint used).
⚡ Cost Scenarios
📊 Baseline (baseline) $30K/yr
94.0% probability / year
Normal year with routine use, regular transcriptions, and no incidents or containment changes.
routine_use no_incidents no_behavioral_change
🚨 Minor Incident $38K/yr
5.0% probability / year +$8K vs baseline
Single localized foodborne illness or allergic-reaction event requiring medical treatment, extra testing, and local PR/legal work.
localized_foodborne_illness allergic_reaction single-staff_hospitalization
🚨 Research Escalation $90K/yr
1.0% probability / year +$60K vs baseline
Object demonstrates new/more concerning perceptions or memetic patterns requiring expanded research, staffing, containment upgrades, and cover operations.
new_memetic_phrase rapid_perception_spread emergent_dangerous_content
👥 Personnel 0.18 total
Role Count Notes
Research Assistant / Transcriber 0.08 [#7] 0.05–0.1 FTE equivalent for ongoing transcription and record-keeping (salary+benefits portion budgeted ~ $5,000/yr).
Research Scientist / Memeticist (oversight) 0.05 [#8] Occasional memetics/linguistics review (0.05 FTE or consultant hours; budgeted ~$6,000/yr).
IT / Sysadmin (part-time) 0.05 [#6] Part-time sysadmin and storage maintenance support (~$1,500/yr).
📋 Confidence Notes
Analyst notes provide detailed line-item ranges and clear operational procedures so cost categories are well-defined, but multiple items include ranges and optional upgrades (HVAC, contingency reserve size, possible dedicated kitchen), producing moderate uncertainty.
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