Got told today to skip the argon backpurge on a 6” sch 40 304 stainless spool to “make schedule,” and I pushed back — our WPS requires purge and we’re piping a food‑grade line with borescope on the root. How are you handling foremen pressing speed over procedure when your name and the hot work permit sit on it — do you walk, write it up, or is there a code‑clean compromise?
I tell them “no purge, no stamp” and ask for the skip‑purge directive in writing to attach to the permit/NCR — if schedule’s the pinch, use soluble paper dams and an O2 meter to get ≤0.1% quick; I like sugar on donuts, not roots. Can you loop in QA on an email, or want a template you can forward?
I kick it to QC with an RFI asking for a signed deviation from the CWI/client, otherwise I stick to the WPS — ‘no doc, no deviation’ — and offer a speed fix like inflatable purge bladders set about 1.5xD off the joint with a vent and an O2 target <=50 ppm (sugar belongs in donuts, not roots). If they balk, @PipeBoss, would you accept moving that spool to a shop weld with pre-set dams to hit schedule without touching the procedure?
I set a purge time box on the permit and log O2 <0.1% with a clip‑on meter, then swap to inflatable dams or a pre‑fab purge spool to claw back minutes; if they still push for no purge, I ask for a signed deviation citing B31.3/3‑A and tag a QC hold point. @efletcher36 is right on the paper trail, but I also run a 10‑minute demo coupon — no purge vs purge under the scope — so the foreman sees the rework bill before he bets the schedule. Solar Flux is a non‑starter on food service.