Radiohead's Touring Company Investigated by Canadian Ministry of Labour

Four companies, including one run by the members of Radiohead, have been asked to comply with an investigation by the Canadian Ministry of Labour into the stage collapse that resulted in the death of the band's drum technician, the Toronto Star reports. Scott Johnson, 33, was killed on Saturday when the top portion of the stage at Downsview Park in Toronto collapsed an hour before gates opened for ticketholders.

The Ministry of Labour has identified four companies – Radiohead's own Ticker Tape Touring LLP, Toronto-based Optex Staging and Services, Nasco Staffing Solutions and the concert promoter Live Nation – as being directly responsible for the incident. Ministry spokesman Matt Blajer has told the Toronto Star that they have issued orders "mainly to Live Nation."

The investigation into the collapse has been hobbled somewhat by the number of companies involved in putting on the show. "We’re still trying to figure out who owns what, who’s responsible for what," Blajer told the Star. "You’ve got lighting technicians, sound technicians, the band’s people — we’re trying to figure out who worked for whom."

All four major companies involved in Radiohead's Toronto show have not commented on this story, though Radiohead themselves issued a statement regarding the death of Johnson. "We have all been shattered by the loss of Scott Johnson, our friend and colleague," they wrote on Sunday. "He was a lovely man, always positive, supportive and funny; a highly skilled and valued member of our great road crew. We will miss him very much. Our thoughts and love are with Scott's family and all those close to him."