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SCP-988 Safe ~ medium confidence
SCP-988
Expected annual
$140K
One-time setup
$116K
Annual recurring
$135K
Personnel
3
One-time setup costs are modest (~$116.5k) for a secure, windowless containment cell and necessary security/equipment; recurring annual costs are driven by security/staffing, legal/cover-up readiness, medical/fatality reserves and contingency funds (~$135k/yr). Main cost drivers are personnel/security allocations, legal/medical contingency funds, and maintained reserves for extraordinary events.
🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $116K
Contingency Reserve Initial $50K
[#20] Initial contingency reserve for unknown/escalating behaviors or urgent containment upgrades (recommended held available).
Facilities $40K
[#1] Construction/modification of a locked, windowless, lightproof containment room sized for the chest (concrete/door/seals/installation).
Equipment $12K
[#2, #3, #5, #6] One-time purchase of preservation equipment (dehumidifier, monitors), padlock and tamper-evident supplies (initial), access-control reader installation, and external camera hardware and installation.
Secure Transport Per Move $8K
[#13] Per-move secure transport cost (vehicle, escorts, insurance) if chest must be relocated.
Training Development $4K
[#8] Initial creation/delivery of SOPs and training materials for authorized staff; course development one-time cost.
Key Vault Setup Transport $2K
[#4] Secure courier/armed transport and setup for delivering the padlock key to off-site secure storage.
Initial Research And Lab Setup $0
[]
🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $135K/yr
Cover Story And Legal $20K/yr
[#12] Legal retainers, PR/cover-up budget, and routine amnestic administration costs for small-scale interventions.
Emergency Medical Readiness $20K/yr
[#10] On-call medics, trauma readiness and incident response fund for immediate care, evacuation, and transport.
Contingency Reserve Annual $20K/yr
[#20] Annual contribution to contingency reserve for extraordinary escalation (rapid relocation, specialist research commissioning, major upgrades).
Staff Wages $18K/yr
[#7, #9] Marginal/security staffing (0.1-0.3 FTE equivalent) and administrative inspection labor (0.05-0.2 FTE) to monitor the chest and enforce 'no experimentation' policies.
Facilities Maintenance $12K/yr
[#16] Pro-rated facility overhead, utilities (HVAC/alarms), alarm monitoring and specialized insurance allocation for the containment area.
Logistics And Transport $12K/yr
[#4, #13] Off-site key vault rental/administration (~vault rental) and annual secure-transport contingency budget for possible moves/transfers.
Fatality Contingency Contribution $10K/yr
[#11] Annual contribution toward a fatality contingency fund (autopsy, burial/compensation, legal processing) — recommended fund held for potential fatality costs.
Equipment Damage Reserve $10K/yr
[#14] Reserve for replacing damaged equipment from unauthorized experiments or accidental damage.
Research And Monitoring $4K/yr
[#15] Archival documentation, actuarial analysis, and records maintenance to monitor attempts and statistical behavior.
Administrative Audit $4K/yr
[#18] Internal audits, compliance inspections, and occasional third-party reviews of chain-of-custody and access logs.
Security Systems Maintenance $2K/yr
[#5, #6] Ongoing maintenance/licensing for access control and camera storage/maintenance costs.
Conservation And Physical Maintenance $2K/yr
[#2, #17] Periodic conservation treatments (wax/oil, rust inhibitors) and physical integrity checks to maintain chest and fittings.
Training And Recurring Certification $1K/yr
[#8] Annual refresher training, certification renewals, and record-keeping for authorized staff.
Supplies And Consumables $1K/yr
[#3, #19] Recurring tamper-evident supplies replacement (~$50/yr) plus consumables (gloves, seals, batteries, evidence bags).
⚡ Cost Scenarios
📊 Baseline (baseline) $135K/yr
89.5% probability / year
Normal uneventful year with routine inspections, maintenance, training, and reserve contributions but no major incidents.
routine_maintenance scheduled_training no_incidents
🚨 Minor Incident $147K/yr
8.0% probability / year +$12K vs baseline
Unauthorized attempt or equipment failure that damages gear or requires limited emergency response but does not cause fatalities or public exposure.
unauthorized_experiment_attempt mechanical_failure electrical_short
🚨 Fatality Event $255K/yr
2.0% probability / year +$120K vs baseline
An attempt results in a documented staff fatality requiring autopsy, benefits/payouts, legal action, and expanded medical/PR response.
staff_fatality legal_investigation large_medical_evacuations
🚨 Major Breach $435K/yr
0.5% probability / year +$300K vs baseline
Unusual escalation requiring emergency relocation, large-scale containment upgrades, public exposure mitigation, or major commissioned research to counter new behavior.
unexpected_mechanism_change public_exposure required_relocation_or_scale-up
👥 Personnel 3 total
Role Count Notes
Security Officer / MTF Agent 1 [#7] One dedicated (shared-duty) security officer/agent assigned fractionally to SCP-988 (0.1-0.3 FTE equivalent reflected in staff_wages).
Administrative Staff 1 [#9, #18] One admin/records staff responsible for inspections, logging, and audit coordination (0.05-0.2 FTE equivalent).
Research Scientist / Analyst 1 [#15] One analyst responsible for archival documentation and actuarial analysis (part-time; 0.05-0.15 FTE equivalent accounted in research_and_monitoring).
📋 Confidence Notes
Analyst notes provide detailed itemized ranges for nearly all cost categories, enabling a moderate-confidence estimate. Uncertainty remains in per-incident fatality costs, the size/timing of contingency expenditures, and choices within wide ranges (e.g., reserve sizing and staffing scaling), so figures are approximate.
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