The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has devised new rules to prevent accidents involving cranes in construction. The much-anticipated federal rules could save at least 53 lives and prevent 115 injuries a year, according to OSHA. It would supplant a rule promulgated in 1971, which has seen few revisions despite changes in how crane work is done. The "comprehensively addresses the hazards associated with the use of cranes and derricks in construction, including tower cranes," says Edwin G. Foulke Jr., OSHA's assistant secretary of labor. "This draft rule will both protect construction employees and help prevent crane accidents by updating existing protections and requiring crane operators to be trained." Under the current rules, legal responsibility for accidents is unclear, leaving crane operators, owners, users, lift directors and site supervisors unsure of their liability. Several fatal crane accidents this year have led to increased state and local regulations. The cost of added safety would pay dividends, according to OSHA estimates. The construction industry would spend about $123 million a year in compliance costs, such as worker training and testing -- but employers would save $406 million in accidental deaths and injuries, a net benefit of $283 million per year. OSHA estimates the average cost of a life at $7.5 million and an injury at $50,000.