I'm all for the use of proper safety equipment and for anyone who uses it for genuine safety considerations (rather than posing) any ridicule should be like water of a duck's back. You are entering a potentially hazardous environment and a professional mindset is to be commended. The results of not using safety equipment are sobering.
A few months ago I had a nasty chemical burn on my hand having done a walkaround on a Boeing and presumably come into contact with hydraulic fluid. I was kicking myself for not wearing gloves like I always did in the RAF.