Which of the following items is crucial for biological work to prevent contamination?

Surgical gloves are essential in biological work to prevent contamination because they create a barrier between the skin and the biological materials being handled. This is particularly important when working with samples that may contain microorganisms or other potentially hazardous substances. Wearing gloves minimizes the risk of introducing contaminants from the hands into the samples, which can compromise the integrity of the experimental results or pose a health risk to the researcher.

The other items listed serve different functions in a laboratory setting. An evaporating dish is used for heating and evaporating liquids, a triple beam balance is used for measuring mass, and a hot plate is used for heating substances. While these tools are important for conducting experiments, they do not specifically address the issue of preventing contamination in the same way that surgical gloves do. Thus, while proper use of equipment and the lab environment is crucial, surgical gloves are specifically designed to protect against contamination during biological work.