Are Earplugs necessary in the Orchestra?

Since the incident of a British violist being deaf after play a Wagner's orchestral piece, public awareness was raised on the ear protection in professional orchestras. A study led by acoustics expert Remy Wenmaekers from Eindhoven University of Technology reveals that why orchestral musicians are bound to wear earplugs through investigating the effectiveness of various control measures to prevent musicians damaging their hearing. The investigation used the finale of Mahler's Symphony No.1 as an example to study the effectiveness of different sound-reducing measures, including screens, orchestral risers and acoustic conditions of the room. However, it was found that these measures were actually ineffective due to the high level of volume of the instruments and musicians' proximity to them. 



In my opinion, it is both the high volume players' (piccolo, trumpet, trombone, percussion) and front players' (strings, woodwinds) responsibility to protect one another's ears while producing the best sound quality. For the players who always suffer from high decibels instruments, earplugs are definitely the best protection. Even me as a percussionist has to wear earplugs while practicing xylophone, glockenspiel or snare drum in the room. Even you want to hear the orchestra sound clearly, I suggest to at least wear a pair during rehearsals. For the players who play so loud, it would be considerate if you can remind the players in front or beside you that you are going to play fortissimo and ask them to be aware. Whether they wear ear plugs or not, it is better than you being regarded as a selfish noisy bastard in the orchestra. During the opera production, the orchestral pit is a small and stuffy place which the sound is a bit trapped inside. I did remind the players beside me to wear earplugs when I needed to play the cymbals loudly and suddenly. Anyway, I'm sure that hearing is the most important thing to musicians and we do need to take good care of it. 

Reference from Classic fm: http://www.classicfm.com/music-news/musicians-earplugs/