Representatives of the construction sector said on Thursday the city had sufficient manpower to remove the mesh netting of all buildings undergoing major renovations by Saturday.

They were speaking following the issuance of a deadline to do so by the government late on Wednesday in the wake of the inferno in Tai Po that killed at least 159 people, with netting that was not fire-retardant believed to have contributed to the rapid spread of the deadly blaze.

The order followed suspicions that falsified documents were used to claim that netting used in two major renovation projects at Fung Wah Estate in Chai Wan and Fortress Garden in Fortress Hill had passed mainland safety tests.

The administration is looking to implement a new set of rules by next week that require netting samples be taken on site for testing upon delivery and only those which passed safety tests can be installed.

Chau Sze-kit, chairman of the Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union, told RTHK that he expected projects would only be delayed by around 10 days under the new arrangement.

"In the past, mesh netting was a material that people didn't pay much attention to because it was only temporary," he said.

"But after the fire everyone knows that it has a significant impact, and there have also been cases in which documents have been forged.

"I believe it is necessary to take samples on site, and it is also necessary to take them for lab tests."

Chau stressed that workers must first clear the netting of any debris that had been caught in it as any hard and heavy bits which subsequently fell during the removal process could threaten the lives of workers and pedestrians.

He added that the government needed to make clear such things as the amount of netting needed for tests so as to allow the sector to prepare in advance.

As the city currently has about 3,000 qualified workers in the scaffolding sector, he believes they are sufficient to meet the citywide deadline.

Echoing Chau's view on manpower sufficiency, the permanent honorary president of the Hong Kong Construction Sub‑Contractors Association, Lawrence Ng, held out the possibility that the sector's netting suppliers and scaffolding contractors might be innocent of wrongdoing in cases involving suspected falsified documentation.

He said if it was impossible to ensure the netting was in compliance with safety standards within a short time, taking samples for testing would be the only way to ease public concern.

Ng also suggested the sector consider requiring manufacturers to offer a verification for each batch of netting so as to shorten the time and reduce the quantity needed to be taken for testing.

Netting-removal work at 15 public housing estates undergoing major-maintenance work is expected be completed today.

Netting is being dismantled in phases at Sui Wo Court in Sha Tin, Ching Lai and Yee Kok courts in Sham Shui Po, as well as On Kay Court in Ngau Tau Kok, while removal work has also begun at Fung Wah Estate.