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Objective Knee meniscus disorders represent a significant cause of work absence and work disability, and often result in surgical intervention. We aimed in a large-scale general population study to assess knee meniscus disease associated with cumulative workplace exposures over the working lifetime.Material and Methods Participants in a large prospective study (CONSTANCES) were surveyed. The survey included self-reported history of current and past jobs, allowing estimation of past and current workplace physical exposures using an existing job exposure matrix (JEM). meniscus surgery cases were ascertained through matching the surveys to national health insurance data. Poisson regression analyses (controlling for age, Body Mass Index, and sex) computed the relative risks (RR) of future meniscus surgery associated with standing, kneeling/squatting, carrying loads > 25kg, and computer use. Eleven exposures including physical force, repetition, posture, and keyboard use were categorized into quartiles. Models included different time periods of exposure and/or different exposure lag times.Results More men than women had meniscus surgery (1,062 men vs. 541 women). Cumulative years of work in a job above the 75th percentile of population exposures to standing, kneeling/squatting, and carrying loads > 25kg were associated with statistically significant higher risks of meniscus surgery among men (RR per ten years of exposure 1.06-1.09), while years of computer work were associated with a lower risk of surgery (RR=0.93). Years of standing was associated with higher risk of surgery among women (RR=1.11). Placing a 5 year lag on exposures had minimal effects on the associations.Conclusion Our study found that working long hours standing, carrying heavy loads, and kneeling and squatting increased the risk of knee meniscus surgery among men during the working life. Time spent on computers was linked to a lower risk of future meniscus surgery.